Familiar eyes
by CissyJewel
Summary: It hadn't even crossed her mind that she would fall in love with a man twice her age. It had never crossed his mind that he would fall in love with a girl old enough to be his daughter. How are they going to deal with this? How is everyone going to react? HP AU... *RL/OC* Rated T for safety.
1. Introductions

**Author's Note:** Most characters are a bit different from how they are on the books and films. I've changed the original Storyline a lot, I hope that's not a problem. It takes place on Harry's third year. The Golden Trio won't be much of a part in this story. Voldemort died when he killed Harry's parents. Narcissa and Bellatrix are not supporters of the Dark Lord (Just putting that out there. You'll understand later why I am making this choice.) . Also Bellatrix is not Cygnus' child; she is half-sister of Narcissa and Andromeda. She is a sister from another mister ;) (You will get that later as well). The story is mainly about RL/OC. Other ships will make an appearance as well. I hope you enjoy this.

A young woman stepped gracefully out of the train and lingered behind taking a deep breath. Her last year at Hogwarts came too soon for her own liking. She glanced at the first years that gathered around Hagrid and sighed. She had made so many memories in that castle. She had made friends, not only in the faces of the students but in the faces of her teachers as well. Her Head of House, Severus Snape, was really fond of her. And Professor McGonagall? They spent hours in her office discussing about her future career. She knew that she could turn to the female Professor for advice.

"Are you going to move or are you going to stand there and miss the carriage?" Joanna Parkinson, her best friend, asked. "Earth to Miranda!" she yelled as she slapped her shoulder.

"What? Yeah, yeah I am coming." She rolled her eyes. Miranda pinned her Head Girl pin on her robes and took off after her friend. She still couldn't believe that she was Head Girl. It had been quite a while since someone from Slytherin had managed to get that position. Snape was really proud of her. She just wished her mother was there to see it. At the thought of her mother she shook her head to stop the ugly thoughts.

She stepped on the carriage and felt two arms wrap around her tightly. "Mira! It's our last year. Are you excited?" Joanna asked hugging her tightly, and then turned to look at her. "What's with the long face?"

"Nothing; I just don't want it to end." She shrugged and Joanna patted her on the back.

"I hate seeing you like this." The redhead sighed trying to think of something to cheer up her best friend. "Maybe during this year you'll meet the love of your life and then you won't want to come back. It's a whole year, a lot can happen." Joanna nudged her playfully, causing her to chuckle.

"I doubt that. All the boys in our years are immature." She grinned.

"Never say never, love." The redhead winked. Two sets of laughter drove the silence of the trip away.

One by one the students jumped off the carriages and made their way to the Great Hall. The two girls stopped by the girls' bathroom first to check their appearances. It became like a ritual every time they returned to Hogwarts. It was how they had met in the first place. The two girls had entered the same bathroom on their first year just before they were taken to the Great Hall. They had talked and immediately clicked together.

Joanna fixed her long straight red hair pulling them up into a ponytail leaving only a few strands to frame her face and charmed away any wrinkles she had on her school robes.

Miranda, on the other hand, didn't have to do anything to her hair. Her soft curls fell down reaching to the middle of her back. They were exactly like her mother's when she was younger. At least that's what her aunt Narcissa told her. She ran her fingers through her curls as she stared into her own gray eyes. It was the only feature that she had inherited from her father. At least that's what she thought. No one, besides her mother, knew who her father was.

"I didn't have you for the type that would stare so lovingly into your own eyes." Joanna teased her.

"Shut up. I wasn't." she scoffed. "Come on. We are going to be late." She announced and stepped out of the bathroom.

By the time the girls entered, everyone was seated on their tables. Miranda looked at the front and realized that the first-years hadn't arrived yet, so her shoulders relaxed in relief. She didn't want to get in trouble on her first night in the castle. She found Draco's head and walked towards him sitting beside him.

"Took you long enough, Mimi." He teased her and the girl laughed.

"Missed me much, Dray?" she asked kissing his cheek loudly, causing him to start rubbing his cheek with his sleeve. "Gross." He muttered. "Serves you right." She smiled and turned to look towards the front as the first-years entered.

As she watched the Sorting with a smile on her face, she missed a pair of green eyes watching her from the moment she stepped foot into the Great Hall. The Professor saw something familiar in her but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"Professor Flitwick?" he called for his colleague's attention.

"I told you young man. Call me Filius. We are colleagues now." The short man pointed out smiling.

"Right!" he chuckled. "The Head Girl seems familiar. Who is she?" he asked hoping that Filius wouldn't get suspicious that he was asking.

"Oh that's Miranda Black; Bellatrix's daughter. Exceptional student if you ask me. Great girl." He explained and clapped his hands as the Sorting ceremony came to an end.

At that moment Miranda's eyes scanned the Head table checking to see if there were any changes in the staff. She did a double-take when her eyes landed on the young Professor who seemed to be staring at her. He smiled softly at her. Miranda blushed bright red as her lips formed a small smile. She looked away shortly after just as Dumbledore stood up to welcome the students.

Joanna noticed the exchange but stayed quiet, making a note to tease her about it later. She knew her best friend very well and she was aware of the fact that only people that attracted her friend were able to make her blush. And that didn't happen very often.

Miranda didn't look at her new Professor again. When Dumbledore introduced him to the students though she couldn't help but glance at him. He was smiling softly as he stood up and bowed. Before he sat down he glanced at her again and Miranda felt her heart flutter a bit. She turned forward startled and placed a hand on her chest. "What the hell?" she muttered.

"You okay, Mi?" Joanna asked her with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah. Just my stomach rumbling." She immediately admitted thankful for her cunningness.

"Aha." Joanna nodded not convinced at all. "It's so unfair that we won't be sharing a dorm anymore." She decided to change the subject before Draco picked up anything he shouldn't. Joanna knew that he was quite the devil with quite prying ears.

"You can come spend the night in my room whenever you want." Miranda wrapped her arms around her best friend pecking her cheek.

"We'll see." She huffed but smiled nonetheless.

With a wave of Dumbledore's hands, the tables piled with food and all students dived in.

"Draco, chew first." Miranda chuckled as she watched her cousin eat like a troll. She shook her head amused.

After a while Miranda made a show, pretending to look at Joanna, just so she could steal a glance at her new Professor. _Remus Lupin,_ Dumbledore had said his name was. Miranda sighed softly as she stared at her Professor eating with grace while having a conversation with Professor Flitwick.

"Saw that." Joanna whispered making Miranda look forward again.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She simply said and grabbed her goblet sipping some pumpkin juice.

"Are you making lovey-dovey eyes to the new Professor?" she whispered causing her friend to start coughing loudly. A few students turned to look at the young woman but quickly lost interest as her coughs subsided.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Miranda glared at her friend.

"You didn't answer me." Joanna pushed but still whispering. When Miranda didn't admit it nor deny it, Joanna's eyes widen.

"Miranda Lily Black!" she yelled loudly and stood up shocked. The brunette panicked and looked around to see that everyone had stopped eating and were staring at the two girls. Her eyes met with Remus' and she bit her lip embarrassed. She stood up grabbing her friend by her robes and dragging her outside.

Joanna still looked shocked not able to mutter a word. "Snap out of it. I just think he is handsome. That's all." She snapped two fingers in front of her friend's face trying to get her attention.

"Oh my Merlin! This is so cute." She gushed hugging Miranda tightly. "You never fancy anyone. Never." She pointed out and Miranda shushed her.

"I don't fancy him. I just think he is handsome." She shrugged.

"Yeah, you never do that either." Her friend clapped excitedly. "Oh my Merlin, you fancy a teacher!" she said loudly and Miranda shut her mouth with her hand to stop her from screaming.

"Will you refrain from screaming about this?" the brunette asked and let her go when the redhead nodded.

The two young women noticed a figure standing next to them. Slowly they turned their head and froze. "Everything okay here girls?" their new Professor asked. Miranda's face was as pale as a ghost. Joanna, not wanting her friend to embarrass herself, sprang in action. "Yes of course, Professor. Don't worry." She flashed him her best innocent smile as her friend stood frozen.

"Have a nice night then." He said and looked straight in Miranda's eyes. They stood there looking at each other before Joanna broke the connection.

"Goodnight, Professor." She smiled and he turned his attention to her finally turning to leave. As he walked down the hall, Joanna nudged Miranda with her elbow and nodded her head towards his direction.

"G-goodnight, Professor." Miranda stuttered loudly. Joanna groaned and muttered 'pathetic'.

"Do you think he heard us before?" Miranda asked with panic in her voice.

"Nah. He is old. He probably has hearing problems." She teased Miranda, curious to see how she was going to react.

"He is not old. Shut up." The brunette growled. Remus smiled as he turned the corner. _Imagine that._ He thought as he smiled all the way to his room.

After a bit teasing from Joanna and a bit whining from Miranda, the two girls parted ways. Joanna returned to the Slytherin table while Miranda retreated to the Head Girl's quarters.

 **/Thoughts? Should I continue this or is it boring?**


	2. Coward, disappointed or scared?

**/Thank you all so much for your reviews :D It meant a lot.**

 **Enjoy Chapter 2**

"Morning!" Joanna grumbled as she took a seat opposite Miranda. She grabbed a toast from the table and started munching away.

"Where is all that excitement from yesterday?" the brunette grinned as she ate her pancakes. Joanna's glare through sleepy eyes made her burst in laughter.

Miranda's laughter died down eventually but not before catching her Professor's attention; No surprise there. The brunette wasn't able to see anything though since she had to turn to the side if she wanted to look at the Head Table. Joanna, on the other hand, being the cunning young woman she was, noticed.

"Darling, I think you have an audience." She whispered, flickering her eyes to the Head Table's direction. Miranda didn't catch on fast and just turned abruptly to look where her friend glanced. She caught sight of Remus and blushed a bit. The older man smiled amused and nodded his head in greeting. Her lips formed a small smile and she nodded back.

"How much of an idiot are you, Jo? Now he will know that we were talking about him." She buried her face in her hands.

"How is it my fault? You were the one turning soooo 'subtly'." She laughed out loud and then added "And if he hadn't realized it then, he certainly realized it now." She gestured to the way Miranda was acting.

Miranda huffed and stood up gathering her things. "Where are you going so early?" Joanna asked curiously.

"I have Potions." She shrugged. "The halls will be too crowded later and I will be late." She explained as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

"And, of course, you wouldn't want to disappoint Snape." She rolled her eyes.

"Say whatever you want. I actually like his class. What do you have first?" she asked as she glanced once at the Head Table. A small frown appeared as she noticed that Professor Lupin was already gone.

"Divination." Joanna answered after sipping some pumpkin juice. "And I think we have Charms together right after."

"I'll see you in class then." She said as she walked away from the Slytherin table. On her way out she passed by Hermione Granger and smiled at her greeting her with a good morning. The bushy 3rd year greeted her back with a smile.

The two girls had met last year in a girl's bathroom. Miranda had found Hermione crying her eyes out and sitting on the floor. From what she had heard about the bushy-haired girl during her first year she had come to the conclusion that Hermione was a brilliant witch and very independent as well as strong-willed. Seeing her in that state broke her heart. Just because Slytherins were keeping their feelings to themselves most of the time, didn't mean that they were emotionally cold like most people thought.

Miranda had approached slowly and kneeled next to her. Hermione had looked up at the older girl's eyes and immediately spilled everything. The brunette had been quite surprised by that. "Don't listen to them, Hermione." She had smiled at the girl and wiped away her tears. "They can mock you all they want but let me tell you that bloodlines mean nothing. What matters is what's in here and here." She had pointed at her heart and tapped at her forehead. "There is no spell that they can name that you can't cast. All of our teachers are really pleased with you." She had smiled and stood up. "And do you know what I heard. They call you the brightest witch of your age. The others are just jealous of you." She had smiled and offered her hand which Hermione took. She had proceeded with pulling her up and patted her head.

"Let's get to dinner now." She had smiled and walked to the door.

"Miranda?" the girl had called out and the brunette turned to look at her. "Thank you."

"You're very much welcome." Miranda had smiled and they both had headed to the Great Hall for dinner.

After that incident they had spent quite some time studying in the library and Miranda had suggested quite a few books for Hermione to read. That alone had put her on top of Hermione's list of the most amazing people ever.

Miranda smiled remembering the incident as she walked through the halls. She had made quite the memories in that castle. There were a few sad ones but most of them were happy ones. The only thing she wanted to change was the fact that her mother wasn't there to see it.

The Ministry had thrown her in Azkaban with false accusations. Her aunt had made sure to explain all the facts to her. Lestrange and Nott were behind Longbottom's torture, but he and Nott created false evidence for the Ministry to find. As a result Bellatrix was arrested for the use of the Cruciatus Curse to a point of driving the couple mad. No matter how much Narcissa tried to convince them that Bellatrix was with her the night that it happened, the Ministry was adamant about it. They even threatened Narcissa to lock her up as well if she kept lying to them.

Her aunt had confided in her the reason why Lestrange would have go into that much trouble in creating false evidence instead of just wiping of his traces. "Your mother was in love with someone; I assume she meant your father. She never really told me his actual name. She decided that she wasn't going to marry Rodolphus and I didn't blame her. Rodolphus is an awful man. So Lestrange was furious with her. I bet he planned his revenge for months." She had explained with tears in her eyes as she thought about her sister.

Miranda sighed and shook her head to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts. Taking a deep breath she turned a corner and she almost collided with someone. When she looked up she was surprised to see Professor Lupin staring at her with a smile. "Ehm, I am sorry, Professor." She muttered blushing.

"Why are you apologizing, Miss Black?" he chuckled softly. His low chuckle made her heart flutter uncomfortably.

"I don't know." She blushed even brighter and looked down. Remus looked around and seeing that no one was around placed a finger under Miranda's chin. The young woman bit her lip as she felt his touch. It sent a tingling sensation from her chin to all of her body.

"No reason for that." He smiled staring into her eyes. Their chests were almost touching and she felt her breath hitch. Remus' eyes traveled to her lips and then back into her gray orbs. She smiled a little at that. As Remus leaned in, she heard footsteps and she immediately took a step back as Remus' hand fell to his side.

"I should get to class. Have a good day Professor." She muttered and maneuvered around him.

"Good day to you too, Miss Black." He sighed as she hurried towards the Dungeons.

Miranda could still feel his touch and every time she thought about it her heart fluttered wildly. She didn't know if she should be excited or worried. _He almost kissed me for Merlin's sake!_ She thought and sighed. She had to tell Joanna as soon as possible but for the moment she just entered the classroom as if nothing had happened. She was a master at hiding behind a mask. She took a seat in the front and waited for the lesson to start.

Since Potions was an extra class for the 7th years and it wasn't mandatory for everyone, the students, that were attending, either liked Potions or needed it for the career they had chosen. That meant that they all were at least adequate so usually there would be no accidents. That day was no different. Miranda managed to push her thoughts at the back of her head and concentrated on her potion.

Two hours later after the class ended, the young woman stood up gathered her things and exited the classroom calmly. As soon as she was out of the door she broke into a sprint rushing to find her friend. They had about ten minutes before they had to go to class. When she spotted her friend's red head, she grabbed her by her robes and pushed her into a nearby broom closet. The students who were around them a moment earlier, looked at the door curiously. Miranda casted the Muffliato Charm on the door and proceeded with narrating the whole incident to her friend.

Joanna didn't interrupt her once but the moment she heard about the 'kiss' her eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "HE DID WHAT?" she screamed throwing her hands up in a wild manner. Miranda was glad that she had casted the spell in the first place.

"I can't believe this." She grinned and started jumping up and down. "Do you know what that means?" she asked and Miranda tilted her head confused. Joanna hit her on the head lightly. "He fancies you too, idiot." She pointed out smiling dreamingly. "This is so romantic." She sighed.

"And so forbidden. You are crazy. He doesn't fancy me. He is my teacher." Miranda was unable to believe it.

"That's not an excuse. We'll talk about that later. We have to get to class." Joanna rolled her eyes and opened the door leaving her friend to run behind her.

Charms went by really fast and so did Herbology. The girls didn't talk about Remus again until lunch. Every time Joanna tried to talk to her friend about it during class, Miranda shushed and snapped at her to pay attention.

During lunch Miranda kept glancing at the Head Table trying to catch Remus looking at her but he never did. Her heart fell when he stood up to leave without a glance. She looked down at her uneaten food and pushed her plate away. Joanna frowned as she noticed Miranda's actions. She tried to get her attention but the brunette stood up and left disappointed. "Miranda, wait!" Joanna called out to her and ran after her. "Just leave me be, Jo." She muttered as she walked to her quarters. Joanna stayed behind shaking her head. She decided to leave her friend alone for a while. It was clear that Miranda needed some space.

The brunette had all afternoon free and Astronomy late at night. She just spent the rest of the day curled in bed holding Johnny, her Siamese cat between her arms. At least he would never disappoint her.

Thankfully as Head Girl she had the privilege to have dinner in her own quarters. She called the House-Elf that was appointed to her and made her request.

After she cleared her plate she realized that she was hungrier than she had thought. She turned her head and stared at the frame on her nightstand. She took it in her hand and ran her finger over her laughing mother and her aunts. Miranda sighed and placed the frame back on its place. She grabbed a parchment and her quill and wrote a letter to her aunt asking for advice. She didn't include his name or that he was a teacher of course. Everything had its limits.

She slipped it in a folder and wrote _'Narcissa'_ in the front. It was almost time for her Astronomy lesson so she stopped by the Owlery to send the letter and went to class. She met with Joanna with a small smile.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Just a bit. Thanks for giving me the space." Miranda hugged her friend as they walked in the class together.

After two hours they were finally free to go to bed. At least Joanna was. Miranda had to make her rounds. She was so tired that she just wanted to curl in bed and sleep until next week.

When she stopped by her room, she tossed her backpack and cloak on the floor and grabbed her wand. Just before she turned to leave she noticed a brown owl sitting on her window sill. She approached it curiously and took the note from its small beak. It couldn't be from her aunt. All Owls owned by the Malfoys were white. "Talk about craziness." She muttered and chuckled.

She turned the note around and read.

" _Sorry for my behavior in the morning. I shouldn't have done that. I must have misunderstood the situation. It will never happen again. You have my word._

 _Sincerely,  
R.L."_

Miranda blinked and tore up the note. "That's how you want to play it now? Be my guest." She growled.

She grabbed a small parchment and scribbled down 8 words.

 _Fear has its use but cowardice has none…_

She approached the owl and offered the note. "Take it to the one who sent you here." She ordered. The owl hooted and flew away.

Miranda grabbed her wand and left to do her rounds fuming. Any student that crossed her path was doomed.

 **/How is Remus going to react on that? What did Miranda mean with that note? Stick around and find out!**

 **Thoughts?**


	3. The Wolf and his Chocolate

**/Sorry for the delay guys but I've been really busy with college exams. I hope you like this chapter! I am trying to give this story my best.**

 **paulaa90: Thank you for your reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope this chapter is more to your liking. I tried answering your questions about Veritaserum as well. Waiting to read your opinion for this chapter as well…**

 **Steph: I seriously LOVE your reviews. They always make my day. Thank you! Waiting to read your opinion for this chapter as well…**

 **sarahmichellegellarfan1: Thank you very much for your reviews. As for why she can't understand it, it's because she didn't have a lot of time to process it yet. I hope that with Joanna's help everything will fall into place.** **Waiting to read your opinion for this chapter as well…**

 **!Enjoy!**

The next morning Miranda stumbled in the Great Hall with dark circles under her eyes. The whole night she was tossing and turning trying to get some sleep but her mind didn't let her. She only managed to get some sleep around 4am and woke up around 8am. Remus never answered her and that angered her even more.

The brunette looked up towards the Head Table as she made her way to the Slytherin table. Remus was looking at her with an unreadable expression causing Miranda to raise an eyebrow and tilt her head slightly as if challenging him.

"What the hell did you do last night? You look like a mess." Joanna raised her eyebrows as she looked at her friend.

"I've barely gotten any sleep." She sighed with a frown.

"Does it have anything to do with McDreamy?" she asked with a smirk.

"I don't want to talk about it." She muttered as she ate looking at her plate.

"He did something, didn't he?" Joanna asked and Miranda nodded. She was startled when Joanna banged her hand on the table and stood up. "I'll break his face." She shouted attracting attention.

Miranda pulled her down laughing. "Why do you have to get everyone's attention every day?" she asked amused.

Joanna shrugged and threw an arm around her best friend. "I can't help it if they are sticking their nose in other's business." She said with a grin. "What did he do anyway?" she asked curiously but her voice dropped into a whisper.

Miranda sighed and looked at her with an 'I don't want to talk about it' expression.

"You will tell me eventually, so just do it already." Joanna pressured her.

It didn't take much pressure for Miranda to finally spill the beans. Joanna started laughing hysterically. "Is that why you are like this?" she asked between laughs. "Sugar, it's completely normal. He is your teacher. What did you expect? And to be honest it was the logical thing to do. I am pretty sure that he didn't mean that he misunderstood the situation. I believe he only said that because he didn't want you to call him a coward or anything. Which you already did but I am not going to comment on that. Still I don't know the guy. It could mean something else entirely." The redhead pointed out with a smile. "Mi, your reply was really unnecessary; And a bit irrelevant, if you ask me." Jo explained and Miranda looked at her horrified.

"But I-"

"Just think about it for a moment. Why would you even say that? It doesn't make any sense." Joanna smiled sadly. Miranda stayed silent for a while as she mulled it over. Maybe her friend was right after all. "Forget about it for now. We have DADA after Transfiguration. We'll figure it out. And sugar next time, don't do anything when you are that tired and that angry." She winked as she hopped out of her seat. "I'll see you in class. Have to go grab my stuff." Joanna blew her a kiss as she ran out of the Great Hall.

Miranda pulled out a parchment and scribbled down a few things; she grabbed it and took off towards the Owlery. A school owl flew towards her and the girl smiled. She petted it and offered a small piece of bread before giving her the note. She whispered the instructions and she watched as the owl flew away. Finally when she couldn't see it anymore, she turned and left.

While walking to her class she hummed feeling a little better. Leaving the Owlery she had realized that she was rushing things for no reason and she decided to take her time when addressing the matter. She had an entirely year to act. Joanna's speech had made her see things from another perspective.

Miranda didn't know much about relationships. She did have a few occasional crushes during her previous years in Hogwarts but they were never so strong. She didn't know how to handle things like that.

Suddenly a white owl landing on her shoulder pulled her away from her thoughts. She raised her arm in front of her and the owl jumped on it. The girl smiled at the beautiful creature. "Hello there, Elsa." She smiled as she stopped walking and took the letter from its beak. "You can go. I'll reply later." She ordered softly and the owl hooted flying away.

The brunette moved to sit on one of the open windows as she opened the envelope. Her aunt's distinctive handwriting was exactly what she was expecting. She smiled and read what her aunt wrote.

"My dear niece,

It was really nice of you to write to me and ask for advice in matters like this one. I was quite surprised to tell you the truth. It's been quite a while since I flirted with someone else besides your uncle. Actually that only happened when I was still in Hogwarts.

So what I am going to tell you is how I caught your uncle's attention. I expect this to stay between the two of us, right?

First of all **flirt with your eyes.** It's all in the way you look at him: Walk by, kind of look him up and down, give him a slight smile, and keep walking. You can have an entire conversation without saying a word.

Secondly **boost his ego.** I am sure you know what I mean by that. Judging by what you told me, I figured that you are talking every now and then. So you can easily achieve that.

Thirdly if you happen to come across him in the corridors **smile and greet him.** It will really catch his attention.

Finally, when you talk to him **be yourself.** This is the most important. Don't pretend to be someone you are not. If he doesn't like you for who you are, he is NOT worth it.

I hope I was helpful. Thank you for trusting me with that. I never expected myself to offer advice to my niece. I hope that that was not weird.

As for the other matter you wrote to me about I already told you that I did everything I could. Bellatrix asked to be put under Veritaserum but they simply denied it. They had solid evidence, they said. Their exact words were that since some wizards and witches can resist its effect while others cannot, Veritaserum is _unfair and unreliable to use at a trial_ and would be difficult to use as definite proof of guilt or innocence. In addition, a wizard or witch that is under the effects of this potion speaks of what they believe to be true. So it's not reliable at all.

The only way to free your mother is if Rodolphus were to be found, but he is in hiding for years. In that case the Veritaserum could be of use because he would admit his crime. I am really sorry, Miranda. I've tried everything in my power to keep her away from that horrid place; and so did your uncle.

I'll keep you posted if anything happens. I am expecting to hear more about that crush of yours. Not that it matters but in which House is he in? What's his name?

I'll be waiting for your next letter. Don't take too long. Good luck, my dear.

Lots of love,  
Cissy

Miranda couldn't help but smile at her aunt's excitement about her secret crush. But her hopes about bringing her mother home were slowly dying. She sighed and folded the letter putting it back to the envelope. She realized that she was late for class and took off running.

She arrived out of the classroom panting and knocked on the door. She only opened when she heard McGonagall's 'enter'.

"Professor, I am really sorry for being late." She said out of breath.

"Five points from Slytherin, Miss Black. I hope it won't happen again." The strict Professor said and motioned for her to take a seat.

Miranda nodded her head and sat beside her friend. She pulled out her textbook and turned to the page they were currently studying.

"As I was saying, before Miss Black interrupted us, today we'll be learning about Human Transfiguration. It can be used to essentially replicate the natural abilities of Metamorphmagi, allowing the practitioner or the subject to take an entirely different form or make various individual changes to their appearance, such as growing or changing the color of one's hair or taking on individual animal body parts. This subject is really important so we will continue with the practical part on our next lesson." The Professor said as she paced the classroom.

Miranda's hand was furiously writing down on the parchment taking notes, Joanna was almost dozing off next to her and that's how the lesson pretty much went for the remaining time.

As Miranda gathered her things Joanna leaned towards her. "Meet me in the bathroom before DADA." She smiled and walked out.

Miranda smiled shaking her head amused. She approached McGonagall's desk. "Excuse me, Professor?"

"How can I help you, Miss Black?" she asked raising her head to look at her.

"I just wanted to tell you that the reason I was late was because I received a letter from my aunt concerning my mother and I kind of lost track of time. It won't happen again." She explained.

"Don't worry about it, Miranda. It won't affect your grades. You are an exceptional student. This thing happens." Minerva smiled at her.

"Thank you Professor." She nodded smiling brightly.

"There is no reason for you to stress over this silly things. Not when you have your N.E.W.T.s to study for. Even though I am sure you'll do marvelously." McGonagall winked at her.

"Thank you, Professor. I should get to my next class. Have a good day." Miranda smiled brightly at her Professor. "You too, Miranda."

Miranda hurried out of the classroom in search of her crazy friend. When she found her she sighed. "What is it?" she asked straightening her bag on her shoulder.

"Class with Professor McDreamy; That's what." She stated with a grin and started pulling and straightening Miranda's school robes. She fixed her hair and used a charm to hide her dark circles. "All set."

Miranda knew not to put up a fight with her. Joanna was known for her stubbornness after all. Joanna hooked her arm around her friend's and laughing they walked towards the classroom. Joanna walked in first telling her friend to wait for a bit to make an entrance. Miranda couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Why is all that necessary?" she muttered when her friend entered.

She waited for five minutes outside and watched as the other students were approaching. She entered first of course and her eyes scanned the classroom as she tried to find her Professor. He was standing next to where her best friend was sitting and they were talking. She looked worriedly at them and approached the desk. "Good morning, Professor." She smiled brightly at him and took her seat next to her friend.

"Good morning, Miss Black." He nodded smiling a bit. He walked away as students started filling the classroom.

"Good morning, everyone." He greeted the students with a smile. "My name is Professor Lupin and I'll be your professor for this year. For our first class we will be practicing on the Patronus Charm. Can someone tell me anything about this spell?" he asked looking around to find a willing student.

Miranda grinned and raised a hand immediately.

"Yes, Miss Black." He smiled slightly.

"The Patronus Charm is the most famous and one of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind. It is an immensely complicated and extremely difficult spell that evokes a partially-tangible positive energy force known as a Patronus or spirit guardian. It is the primary protection against Dementors and Lethifolds, against which there is no other defense. I believe the incantation is Expecto Patronum." she answered smiling.

"Excellent answer, Miss Black! 10 points to Slytherin." He flashed a charming smile. "That's exactly what the Charm is. The vast majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce any form of Patronus, and to create even an intangible one is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability." He explained as he pulled out his wand for a demonstration.

As he muttered the spell, a blinding, dazzling, silver animal shot out of his wand. The animal took the form of the wolf and it trotted around the classroom for a while. When it passed by Miranda she stretched out her arm to touch it. Her hand ran over its silvery fur and she gasped. The wolf stopped to enjoy the petting.

"Miss Black!" Remus spoke up out of the blue making Miranda jump and pull her hand back.

"Since you touched it can you explain to us the feeling?" Remus asked her with a kind smile.

Miranda nodded and moved her hand to touch it again. "It isn't really solid, but it is tangible in a way that you can feel its presence. It's a sort of tingly, light feeling." She explained looking at the creature mesmerized.

"Exactly. Very nice, Miss Black." He nodded causing her to grin. "So far there is not an explanation for why that is possible, but researchers are working on it." He pointed out as he lowered his wand and his Patronus disappear. Miranda frowned slightly and turned her attention back to him.

"For today's lesson you will be attempting on creating your own Patronuses." he stated. "Now stand up and move your desks to the side so we can start."

Joanna and Miranda jumped out of their seats and hurriedly pushed the desks to the sides. As soon as the desks were out of the way the students paired-up and stood in front of each other. "Excuse me, sir. How do you create it?" Joanna asked turning to look at Remus.

"Can someone answer Miss Parkinson's question?" Lupin looked around for volunteers. Miranda, of course, raised her hand. "Come on, guys. Is Miss Black the only one who studies ahead of time?" he asked and Miranda lowered her hand. Some students looked guiltily on the ground while others simply didn't care.

"Miss Black, if you please?" he nodded at her.

"Yes, sir. You conjure it with the incantation I mentioned earlier. It will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory." She explained puffing her chest proudly. _Slytherins and their pride._

"Right again. Another 10 points to Slytherin." He nodded satisfied. "Now to increase the power of the spell while casting you should begin drawing circles with your wand. Begin!" he raised his hands and the students turned to their partners.

Remus paced the classroom checking on the students' progress with a smile. After ten minutes the students started feeling hopeless as they didn't manage to conjure anything. "There is no reason to despair. Most people can't achieve it at their first try."

Miranda huffed as her eighth try was unsuccessful. Instead of despairing though she tried harder. She kept changing and changing memories trying to find a suitable one. She remembered a particular memory of a Christmas celebration. Suddenly a silvery mist burst from her wand illuminating the classroom. She gasped and giggled as she wrapped her free hand around her lion necklace.

Remus walked to her with a bright smile. "That's very good, Miss Black. Excellent!"

The students started clapping and a blush formed on Miranda's cheeks.

"Is it okay for you to share your memory with the rest of the class? That could help your classmates pick a memory of their own. If it's private we'll understand." He asked gesturing around.

"I guess I could do that. I picked a memory from last year. It's a bit bittersweet but I guess since it partially work, it's a good one." She pointed out blushing. She didn't really enjoy sharing information about her left and right but since a teacher asked, she couldn't help but share.

"Carry on." He gestured assuring her that it was fine.

The girl focused her attention on her Professor forgetting that her classmates were around her for a moment. It felt easier that way. "Well last Christmas my aunt gave me two gifts. She said it was something my mother wanted me to have. The first one was a manly bracelet that had a small snake charm on it while the other was a necklace with a small lion cub hanging from it. She said that it was a replica of the real gifts my parents had given to each other when they were graduating. My mother had created them after she gave birth to me. Before she was locked up in Azkaban, she told my aunt the story and when to give them to me. That's all I guess." she shifted uncomfortably and looked down on the floor.

She felt a hand on her wrist and looked up seeing her friend holding her hand and smiling at her. She smiled back and leaned against Joanna.

"That's indeed a strong memory." He nodded. Seeing her discomfort he gestured for the students to continue with practice and approached Miranda. "Are you okay, Miss Black?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." She nodded smiling a bit.

"This will help. You are done for today. Sit down and get some rest." He pointed out offering a bar of chocolate.

"T-thank you." She smiled and bit on her chocolate. He returned to the other students feeling Miranda's eyes on him the whole time.

The rest of the class went by uneventful but the whole class was enough for Miranda to keep a smile on her face for the rest of the day.

 **/Thoughts? I love reading your opinions on the reviews**


	4. The Unexpected Visitor

_**/Thank you for your reviews guys :)**_

September passed by without any incident. Miranda continued being an excellent student and Head Girl. She continued working on her Patronus since she wanted to figure out the shape and she even talked to Professor McGonagall for a few lessons to discover her Animagus Form. McGonagall didn't ask her why she would have the need to find out about that. The old Professor already knew that Transfiguration was one of Miranda's favorite subjects. Miranda had already informed her that she was trying to master her favorite subjects; Potions, DADA and Transfiguration. So she was trying to learn everything about the three.

On another part of the castle, Remus Lupin had already felt himself at home after the first month had passed. The first full moon had run its circle and with Snape's help, who provided him with Wolfsbane, Remus spent it safely in the Shrieking Shack. He spent the next day under Madam Pomfrey's watchful eye and the day after that he resumed teaching as if nothing had happened. To the students, that asked, he simply stated that he was trying to get rid of a cold and that's why Snape took his place as a substitute.

Remus returned in his classroom as soon as he was released the next morning. He cleaned out his desk and checked his schedule. It seemed that he had only four classes that day. First, he had Gryffindor and Slytherin 1st years followed by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also 1st years. Straight after lunch he had Ravenclaw and Slytherin 2nd years followed by Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. It was nothing he couldn't handle.

As he picked up his book and opened to the page he was currently reading, a note with Miranda's handwriting fell on his lap. A small smile formed on his lips. He had fully memorized it by now but he read it every time it fell in his hand. The sweet smell of cinnamon and apple still emanated from it.

" _I am sorry for my note last night. It was uncalled for and really immature. I completely understand your reasoning. I hope we can put it all behind us and who knows? Maybe we'll become good friends one day._

 _Sincerely,  
M.B."_

The note had arrived just before Miranda's first lesson and when the girl walked in and smiled, he felt quite relieved realizing that she actually meant the words she wrote. Remus, not wanting to answer via owl again, had asked her to stay behind after class. He could see that she was worried and anxious from the way she was fidgeting with her necklace. He had tried to figure out the shape of it but she had it tightly grasped in her hand and when she had approached she had hid it under her robes. So Remus had looked at her smiling softly and stood up. "Truce?" he had asked raising his hand between them. Miranda had looked at it and smiled relieved. "Truce!" she had nodded and shook his hand firmly. Her hand was soft and so small against his bigger one. "Dismissed then, Miss Black." He had nodded with a smirk as he pulled his hand back. "Have a nice day, sir." She smiled and left with a small bounce on her step. His eyes had watched her leave just as her perfume reached him. _Cinnamon and apple._ He had thought with a smile.

A soft knock pulled him away from his thoughts and he immediately sat up straighter. He stuck the note inside his book and left it on the desk as the door opened and a head appeared. "Good morning, Professor." Miranda greeted taking a step inside.

"Good morning, Miss Black. What brings you here so early?" he asked with a small smile.

Miranda took in her Professor's looks. Gone were the black teaching robes as he was relaxing on his chair. Her eyes scanned his appearance slowly. He was wearing a simple white shirt with the two first buttons open and the sleeves folded up to his elbows. From what she could see he was wearing a simple black pair of trousers. As she looked back into his eyes she realized that she had been silent for too long and blushed a bit.

"A-actually I bumped into Professor Dumbledore a few minutes ago and he asked me to tell you to stop by his office. Oh and good morning." She offered him her own bright smile.

"Now?" he raised an eyebrow surprised and maybe a little disappointed.

"I am afraid so." She nodded.

"I shall be going then. Thank you. Is there something else you'd like to tell me?" He asked as he noticed her hesitation. He stood up and turned his back to her as he reached for his teaching robes.

Miranda's eyes immediately zoomed in on his behind and bit her lip. Joanna was having a very bad influence on her. "Well, damn!" she muttered to herself.

"Excuse me, did you say something?" he asked as he turned around again.

"I-I said that there is something else I'd like to ask you." She stuttered a bit blushing. "I was wondering if we could have a few private lessons." As she noticed his surprised expression, she blushed and added immediately. "I-I am just trying to master the Patronus Charm and a few other spells. I've already having private lessons with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape."

"I am afraid I'll have to turn down this request because to be honest I don't think that this is what you need. Not to mention, it will make your schedule even harder than it is." He pointed out smiling.

"But, sir, I-"

"All I am saying, Miss Black, is that you are an exceptional student and it would benefit you more to be my apprentice than just have private lessons. Not full time, of course. That is not possible since you are still in school."

"Really? You will do that?" she asked looking at him with amazement.

"Sure I will. You are a very bright student and this way you can help me as well. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to teach a few classes if you have the time." He beamed at her as he noticed how overjoyed she was.

Miranda ran and hugged him before she even realized what she was doing. "Thank you so much, sir." She exclaimed full of excitement. Her scent immediately reached the werewolf's nose and he stood stiffly for a moment before patting her back slowly.

"The pleasure is all mine. I am glad I can help broaden this brilliant mind of yours."

When Miranda realized what she was doing she took a step back pulling her arms away from the surprised man. "Sorry." She muttered blushing. "I should get going. Breakfast." She simply stated and walked to the door. "Thanks again." She beamed and took off.

Remus chuckled as she disappeared. For a moment he wasn't really sure if it was a good idea to offer her something like that. The girl had already a lot of responsibilities. It wouldn't be healthy if everything she did was studying and attending her Head Girl's duties. He would have to talk to Albus about it.

With that, Remus remembered Dumbledore's request. He walked out of the classroom and headed towards Dumbledore's office. He stood in front of the gargoyle and called out the password. "Fizzing Whizzbees" he muttered and rolled his eyes. He stepped on the stairs and soon enough he found himself in front of Dumbledore's door. He knocked softly and entered.

The first thing, he noticed, was that Dumbledore wasn't alone. The other person that stood in front of the desk was a man with short hair, a bit shorter than his own but a lot darker. He wasn't facing him but when he turned around Remus couldn't help but gasp.

"Hello, Mr. Moony." Sirius' bright smile greeted him while Remus kept gaping like a fish. When the first shock had passed Remus walked and hugged his old friend clapping him on the back.

"When did you come back from Australia?" he asked surprised.

"Just now. I owled Albus and he said that it would be perfectly fine if I were to stop for a visit." They both sat down on the chairs in front of the desk smiling at each other.

"Before you tell me anything, I have to ask. Where is that charming wavy hair that you were so proud of?" Remus asked laughing. He was accompanied by Sirius' loud laughter and Dumbledore's fond smile.

"I thought that it was time for a change." He grinned foolishly.

"Don't get me wrong but why did you come back? After THAT incident I thought you would never want to come back here." Remus pointed out as soon as his laughter died down.

"Actually Albus informed me about the newest information about Rodolphus' whereabouts and he arranged my involvement in the matter along with Malfoy. I don't know if you heard but I am the best Auror in Australia and New Zealand." He informed his friend with a small smile.

"It's been 18 years since I saw you and you still haven't changed a bit." Remus shook his head smiling.

The Headmaster and the DADA Professor stayed silent as Sirius recited what had happened during these 18 years. Time flew by as the three men spent it discussing about quite a few things. About an hour later a soft knock on the door interrupted their discussion. "Enter." Albus called out.

Miranda Black, Henry Kane, the Gryffindor Head Boy, and Paige Griffin, a Hufflepuff prefect entered the office with excited smiles stuck on their faces. Miranda took a step in the front and looked at the men sitting around the desk. She didn't pay much attention to the man she didn't know but she smiled at Lupin and then turned her full attention to the Headmaster.

"Sorry to bother you, sir, but we had an early meeting with the other prefects this morning and it came to our attention that we haven't had a Halloween Ball since our second year." She gestured to her classmates behind her. While she was talking she tried to read Dumbledore's expression which proved to be really difficult since he was looking at them blankly. That didn't stop Miranda though. "So we were wondering if it would be okay if we planned one; with your permission, of course." Miranda smiled brightly at the Headmaster. She could feel all eyes in the room pinned on her and she started fidgeting nervously as she waited for an answer. Her eyes flickered for a bit to the side and locked with Remus' trying desperately to gather her courage.

"Excellent idea!" Dumbledore exclaimed causing everyone to jump out of their skin at the sudden reply. "And I'll take it that you want to be the one to sort everything out?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. At her nod Albus couldn't help but add. "Always the leader, Miss Black." At the mention of the name, Sirius sat up a bit and studied the brunette closely. "You are just like your mother, my dear girl." Dumbledore smiled at her.

Miranda and her company turned to leave after thanking the Headmaster. "Miss Black, stay behind for a few minutes. I'd like you to meet someone." His eyes twinkled as Miranda stopped by the door and then walked back while the other two ran off presumably to inform the rest of the prefects.

"I couldn't help but notice that even though you, two, are related, you obviously haven't met before." He said as he pointed at Sirius and Miranda. "Miranda, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Miranda Black, Bellatrix's daughter." Dumbledore made the introductions and sat back to enjoy the 'show'. Remus watched the scene between them curiously.

Miranda was looking at Sirius with excitement. She immediately stuck her hand out for a handshake. Sirius was left speechless as he shook her hand. He had no idea that Bellatrix had a daughter. "It's so nice to meet you sir." She smiled shaking his hand excitedly. "My aunts told me so much about you." She grinned.

"I-it's nice to meet you too, Miss Black. I didn't know Bellatrix had a daughter." He smiled a bit sadly.

"Please call me Miranda. You are my cousin; or uncle." She tilted her head a bit confused. "Well I am not sure what we are actually but anyway we are related of sorts." She chuckled. "Anyway, yeah. She gave birth to me while she was in Azkaban. Aunt Cissy was the one who raised me." She sighed sadly looking at the floor.

Sirius placed his hand on her shoulder and Miranda looked at him curiously. "From what is worth, your mother was an amazing woman and she was innocent. She never did what they accused her for. I am sure of it." He affirmed causing a wide smile to spread on the young woman's face.

"Thank you, you know, for saying that. Most people don't believe that she is innocent." She pointed out.

"I knew your mother very well, Miranda. I can see the resemblance between you two." He patted her shoulder before bringing his hand back.

"I'd like to know more about her. Aunt Cissy and Meda are the only ones who told me stories about her." She shrugged a bit disappointed.

"Then we should meet during Hogsmeade weekend and I'll tell you more about her. How does that sound?" he asked trying to cheer her up.

"That sounds great; if that is okay with the Headmaster, of course." Miranda and Sirius turned their gazes to the Headmaster. He smiled fondly at both of them and nodded.

"It's a plan then. I'll send you an owl." He smiled hugging her.

Miranda hugged him back tightly. She was really glad that she met him. He seemed very kind and good-hearted; just as Cissy had told her.

"Now that you mentioned Albus' permission…" Remus spoke up turning to the Headmaster "Miss Black asked me for some private lessons but I thought of offering her a part-time apprenticeship if that is allowed."

Albus looked at Miranda and Remus skeptically and a small smirk appeared. Thankfully it was hidden under his beard. "If that doesn't overload Miss Black's schedule, I don't see any harm. But Miss Black you have to cut down a few of your private lessons. I wouldn't like to see you stressed about your lessons." He turned his attention to the young woman.

"Yes, sir. Thank you very much." She bounced on the spot clearly excited.

A bell chimed all through the castle and Miranda realized that classes were about to start. With a last hug to Sirius and a goodbye to her teachers she walked out of the room. Remus' eyes followed her movements till the moment she disappeared from sight. That didn't go unnoticed by Sirius or Albus. When Remus turned around he noticed both men looking at him. Sirius' gaze was full of curiosity and recognition while Albus' was full of amusement. Remus blushed and stood up excusing himself to get to class.

It was Sirius who watched his friend fleeing from the room with a smirk.

"Will you stay for lunch, Sirius? I am sure Harry would like to see you and spend some time with you." Albus asked as if nothing had happened.

"I would love that, Albus." He smirked as his eyes were still glued to the door. Sirius eyes twinkled as he thought the third degree he was going to give Remus about Miranda.

 _ **/That's all for today I am afraid. I hope you liked the chapter. It took me a while to update I am afraid. Sorry about that. :)**_

 _ **Reviews make me reaaaally happy and give me motivation to keep writing!**_

 _ **Next chapter: The beginning of Miranda's apprentice followed by Hogsmeade weekend and of course an appearance from crazy Joanna. Stay tuned!**_


	5. Shopping, talking, rescuing

**Author's note: Thank you for following and liking my story guys. You are the best…**

 **Paulaa90: All in good time, my dear. Thank you for your review!**

 **Antaures: Thank you for your review. I hope you like the story so far!**

 **LoveToTheFandoms: Thank you for the review. I know I didn't update soon but I hope that the length of this chapter will make up for it.**

 **Sarahmichellegellarfan1: Thank you for your review.**

 **Enjoy the newest chapter ;)**

"Miranda, wake up!" a loud girly voice interrupted the staring contest between Miranda and Remus. Miranda realized that the handsome scarred face of her Professor, that stood only inches from her face, started fading into nothingness. Her eyes were forced open as she felt someone shaking her abruptly. She looked up at the hazy face of her best friend and groaned.

"Why do you have to interrupt each and every dreamy dream I have?" she said in a croaky voice as she turned on her stomach and buried her face on the pillow. Joanna was having none of that. She pulled the covers off her body and grabbed her ankles pulling her brunette friend of the bed.

Miranda kicked wildly getting rid of her friend's grip. Joanna took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You have no idea how much I regret giving you the password to my quarters." Miranda muttered and stood up.

Joanna looked at her smugly. "Get a move on you lazy witch. We have to leave for Hogsmeade before all the costumes are taken." She pointed out as she watched her friend disappear in the bathroom.

A few minutes later Miranda emerged from the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a messy crown braid and wearing her school robes. Joanna rolled her eyes when she saw her.

"Don't start." Miranda pressed Joanna's lips with her fingers to keep the redhead from voicing her disapproval. Miranda grabbed her wand and her winter cloak and left with Joanna straight for Hogsmeade. She had promised her friend to spend all morning shopping with her because she was having lunch with Sirius in the Three Broomsticks later that day.

She had no idea what she wanted to dress up as for Halloween. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't find something that she was going to like but she wasn't worrying. She was good at wand waving; she could easily make one up. She just needed to find a theme for her costume. She shrugged that off and decided to focus on the path to Hogsmeade and to whatever her friend was babbling about.

"-and you have no idea who asked me to be his date for Halloween." Joanna exclaimed. That certainly caught Miranda's attention.

"Someone asked you already? Who is it?" Miranda asked excited.

"Oh don't get excited my dear. Marcus Flint, that's who!" Joanna rolled her eyes with disgust. "As if I would go out with that oaf!" Joanna shuddered and Miranda's laughter filled the silence around them. "Shut up! It's enough I have to put with his disgusting sexual comments during Quidditch practice."

"Let me guess. You would prefer it if Oliver Wood was the one to ask you, right?" Miranda knew that Joanna had a crush on Wood since their fifth year.

It was the first year Joanna had joined the Slytherin team as a Chaser. Slytherin was playing against Gryffindor and Joanna was the first to grab the quaffle. With fast maneuvers and flying as fast as she could, she had reached the hoops and thrown the quaffle towards the lower one. Wood had zoomed fast and caught it. He had tossed it back to his own team and winked at Joanna. At that moment Joanna had seen red and had growled dangerously. She had turned and flown after the quaffle. It hadn't taken long for her to have the quaffle back in her possession.

Joanna had flown so fast that the other players had barely seen her pass by. She had thrown the quaffle to one of the hoops with as much strength as she could muster. Oliver had dived and missed it for a few inches. He looked up flashing a charming smile at her. "Nice moves, Parkinson." He had called out. Upon hearing that, her anger had just vanished into excitement. She blushed and smiled brightly at him.

From that moment on, Oliver was the only thing Joanna had been talking about non-stop.

"I wish." She said with a whining tone in her voice.

"I think you should ask him. At least you have the same passion for Quidditch and you are beautiful inside and out. He won't say no. What do you have to lose?" She pointed out and Joanna looked at her surprised.

"Who are you and what have you done to Miranda Black?" she raised an eyebrow. Miranda laughed and shrugged not commenting further.

The two girls entered the Gladrag's Wizardwear and the saleswoman immediately approached them. Joanna did all the talking while Miranda looked around. The saleswoman led them to the costume section informing them that the costumes arrived a few days ago. The moment the Halloween Ball was announced and word got to Hogsmeade, her boss ordered all kinds of costumes knowing that the students would come to her shop seeking for the perfect costume.

Joanna was the first to found a suitable costume but it took her almost two hours. She was going to the Ball as a forest nymph. Her dress was pretty simple but the girls were going to work on that when they got back. It was a simple long green sleeveless dress with a slit on the side. It fitted perfectly hugging all her curves and the color suited her perfectly what with her red hair and all.

"You look perfect." Miranda said in awe when Joanna stepped out of the changing room. "And I have the perfect idea of how to make it even more perfect. Buy it!" Miranda pointed at her. When Joanna got back in the changing room, Miranda walked through the aisles trying to find the ideal dress for her.

The shop was full of students by the time the two girls finished with shopping; or at least Joanna finished with shopping.

"You are really difficult. There was nothing you liked? Seriously? There were tons of beautiful dresses." Joanna pointed out a bit fed up with her friend's behavior.

"Jo, you know that if I had liked something, I would have bought it. To be honest I had an idea about a costume but it involves one dress I've seen in my mother's closet. I'll ask Aunt Cissy to send it to me. If I can't fix it in the way I am thinking then I'll come back and buy something." She stated with a smile. Joanna simply rolled her eyes.

Miranda noticed that Oliver was exiting the Three Broomsticks and grinned. "I am sorry you have to return to the castle by yourself Joanna but I have a meeting. I'll see you later." She said loud enough for Oliver to hear. She leaned towards Joanna. "Here is your chance." She muttered and took off towards the Three Broomsticks.

Oliver looked at Joanna with a smile, which Joanna returned blushing. She immediately turned around and headed for the castle.

"Hey Parkinson, wait up!" Oliver called out and took off after her.

Miranda grinned and with a final look entered the Three Broomsticks. She was really excited that she was meeting with Sirius again and she was even more excited that she was going to learn more about her mother.

The young woman made her way through the crowd trying to find Sirius. Suddenly she heard someone call out her name and grinned as she found Sirius sitting with her Professor towards a far corner. She made her way to them immediately. Sirius stood up and hugged her while Remus nodded his head in greeting.

Miranda hugged Sirius tightly. "Nice to see you again." She smiled at him. When she was released from his embrace she took a seat next to Remus. She looked at him with a smile which Remus reciprocated. Sirius couldn't help but grin and remember how he tried to interrogate Remus about Miranda the previous night.

 _Flashback_

 _Remus and Sirius were sitting in Remus' quarters after dinner enjoying a bottle of Firewhiskey. They were remembering the good times and memories they had created when they were in Hogwarts. Of course there were a few memories that brought tears in their eyes but they quickly changed the memory every time it happened._

 _They remembered every prank they played on Filch and on other classmates. The pranks they played on the girls as well as the crushes they had. Remus didn't have many crushes. He was mostly interested in his classes; not to mention that he was worrying about his furry little problem, as the Marauders used to call it. James was always after Lily. She was his one and only crush. Peter was the Marauder with the many crushes but he was a shy short chubby boy that he always trailed behind the other three. Sirius, on the other hand, didn't have any crushes until his final year. He used to sleep around with a different girl each week. After all, out of the four Marauders he was the ladies man. He always used to say that he belonged to all women. That was until he fell in love._

 _Lost in thought, Sirius finally noticed that the contents in the bottle were almost gone. That was when he finally decided to ask Remus._

 _The Professor was at that moment sipping from his glass when Sirius asked if there was something going on between him and Miranda. Remus started coughing as the liquid ended up going down the wrong pipe._

" _There is nothing going on between me and Miranda." Remus pointed out blushing slightly. The blush alone was enough to make Sirius suspect that Remus was lying._

" _I've seen how you look at her, mate." Sirius raised an eyebrow grinning. "I've noticed how you stare at her every time you think no one is watching. I also have noticed the way she stares at you when she thinks no one watching."_

" _You don't know what you are talking about, Padfoot. Wait! What? She stares at me?" Remus asked surprised._

 _Sirius laughed loudly and Remus huffed annoyed by Sirius' manipulation._

" _You are an idiot. I am going to sleep." The Professor stood up and walked towards his room._

" _Moony, wait. I was only trying to point out that you were lying and that you indeed like her. Come on! MOONY!" Sirius barked but his only answer was the loud bang of a closing door. Sirius shook his head amused and sipped the last of his drink before sleeping on Remus' couch._

 _End of flashback_

Remus noticed Sirius' grin and stood up. "You'll have to excuse me. I should give you some privacy." He apologized looking anywhere but at Sirius and Miranda.

"I am not here to ruin the company." Miranda smiled hesitantly blushing.

"Oh don't think that I am leaving because you came, Miss Black."

"Well then I wouldn't mind if you stayed, Professor." She smiled more confidently now.

"I'd love to stay but I have patrol duty, I am afraid." He sighed as he put on his coat. "I guess I'll see you both later." He nodded at both of them. As he turned to leave **,** Sirius spoke up.

"I don't know if you noticed but I was right last night."

Remus stopped **,** sighed and walked out of the door.

Miranda's eyes stayed on Remus' back until he was gone from sight. When she turned to look at Sirius, Sirius was looking at her with a smirk.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing. So how was your day?" Sirius asked and Miranda informed him about Joanna's shopping spree and how Miranda couldn't find something for the Halloween Ball. Sirius listened to her with his undivided attention. She reminded him of her mother and it brought a smile on his face.

"Your mother was like that. She was extremely picky with the stuff she wanted to buy." He chuckled and Miranda huffed.

"I am not picky." She crossed her arms in front of her chest stubbornly.

"She was just as stubborn as well." He pointed out laughing as the waitress placed Miranda's butterbeer on the table. Miranda couldn't help but beam at that. Her aunts had told her that she was like a young Bellatrix and to be honest she couldn't be prouder. From what people had told her, the people close to her, her mother sounded like a great and fun person.

"I didn't have a lot of time to get to know your mother; at least not as much as I wanted to." Sirius said with a sad smile.

"Why is that?" Miranda asked curiously.

"You see, your mother and I weren't on good terms. We were in the same year here at Hogwarts and when we got sorted into different houses we lost what little contact we had. Every time we met in the corridors we simply glared at each other. Every time one of us visited the other we always argued about everything. I can't really explain it to be honest but every time I laid eyes on her I wanted to wrap my fingers around her neck and choke her." Miranda looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh don't worry, the sentiment was mutual. All that took a dramatic change during our sixth year. Would you like to hear the story?" Miranda nodded eagerly as she leaned closer and rested her arms in front of her on the table.

"Well it all started on an afternoon before Christmas. It was Saturday and I was walking to the Great Hall for lunch…."

 _Flashback_

 _It was Christmas Eve and Bellatrix was just finishing her lunch in the Great Hall. Andromeda Black, Bellatrix's older sister, sat across from her having just finished her lesson. Narcissa Black, Bellatrix's younger sister, sat down next to her brunette sister with a smile. From the looks of it, she had just finished a snogging session with Malfoy. Bellatrix couldn't help but tease her about that and Andromeda always joined in after a while. The three girls had decided to stay in Hogwarts for Christmas and surprisingly so did the Marauders._

 _Bellatrix finished with her lunch so she stood up and walked out of the door just as Sirius bumped into each other. "Watch where you are going!" Bellatrix hissed at him and Sirius sneered at her. Remus, who was walking behind him, rolled his eyes at the two. Bellatrix didn't pay any attention at him so she just walked to her Common Room. As she got in she noticed a sealed envelope sitting on the table by the fireplace. Curiously, she picked it up and noticed that it was addressed to her. She recognized her mother's handwriting immediately and tore it open. Her mother barely wrote letters addressed separately to one of the sisters. She usually wrote one letter for all of them. Sometimes Bellatrix thought that their mother barely cared about them. Their father, on the other hand, sent a letter to each sister separately almost every week._

 _Bellatrix scanned the letter taking in every word. When she finished it, her hands were trembling and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. After about an hour, the other two Black sisters entered the Common Room and found her standing there staring at the letter._

" _Bella? Bella!" Andromeda called out to her. Bellatrix's eyes snapped up at her sister. "Are you okay?" Narcissa asked placing a hand on the middle sister's shoulder._

" _I-I need some air." Bellatrix called and ran out of the Common Room. She ran up to the Astronomy tower. No one was there at this time of the day. As she climbed up the stairs, she felt her tears ran freely down her cheeks. She threw the door open and two startled gasps followed the sound of the door banging._

 _Bellatrix stared at Sirius for about a minute while Sirius stared at her. The girl, that Sirius had on his lap, glared at Bellatrix._

" _S-sorry." She stammered and turned around running down the stairs._

 _Sirius had noticed the tears on his cousin's face and dread settled on his stomach. They might not be in good terms but that didn't mean he didn't care for her. They sort of grew up together after all. Forgetting that the girl was in his lap, he sprang into action. The girl ended up on the floor with an annoyed 'Hey'. Sirius muttered an apology and took off after Bellatrix._

 _He caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs and grabbed her arm before she could get away._

" _Bella, what's wrong?" he asked and she looked away trying to hide her tears behind her hair. Sirius reached up and pulled her hair out of the way. "Someone hurt you?" Bellatrix looked at the floor trying to hold back a fresh batch of tears. "Who was it? I'll break his face. No one has the right to mess with you. Only I get that right." He stated with a serious face._

 _Bellatrix couldn't help but smile at his silliness. She fell into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist burying her face into his chest. Her tears were running freely now as Sirius held her against him and ran his fingers through her hair._

" _Would you like to go somewhere quiet and talk about it?" he pushed her away a little to look into her dark brown eyes. She nodded as she wiped her tears with her sleeve. Sirius took her by the hand and led her outside of the Room of Requirement. He walked back and forth and waited as the door appeared. He opened the door for her and warded it as the door close behind them._

 _He took in the appearance of the room and smiled satisfied. It was a mix of Hogwarts' Common Rooms but quite smaller and with only one small couch in front of the fireplace. They both sat on the couch next to each other and Sirius turned to look at her. "Are you comfortable to tell me what happened?" he asked and she shook her head in denial. He was about to frown when she pulled out the letter and handed it to him. She didn't know why she did that. She couldn't explain why she trusted him with that; she just did._

 _Sirius took the letter from her and read. His eyes grew large as saucers at what he read. "So that means that-"_

" _I am not Cygnus Black's child? Yes that's exactly what it means." Bellatrix curled her legs against her chest and stared at the fire. "I am not a Black. My whole life has been a lie."_

" _Don't be so dramatic. Cygnus might not be your biological father but he is your real father. He is the one who took care of you, right?"_

" _What if he finds out, Sirius? You know what happens to people who betray him. I am scared." She muttered the last part._

" _Don't be. He won't find out. I am not going to say anything." He assured her as he scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her. She immediately leaned against him for comfort. "You'll be fine." He smiled and kissed the top of her head._

" _Thank you, Sirius." She smiled kindly at him._

" _Anything for my crazy cousin." He said cheekily._

" _I am not your cousin." She pointed out with a frown._

" _Anything for my crazy Bella then." He replied back with a grin._

 _Bellatrix couldn't help but chuckle. "You are an idiot." She muttered and leaned her head against his chest. Sirius smiled amused._

 _They stayed like that until it was time for dinner, which caused them to miss their afternoon classes and they both ended up with detentions under McGonagall's watchful eye._

 _End of Flashback_

"Wow I knew about my mother not being Cygnus' child, but I never expected her to tell you based on what you told me before." Miranda pointed out as she tried to take everything in.

"It came quite as a surprise to me then too. After that we spent a lot of time together. When she was accused by the Ministry, I tried my best to keep her away from Azkaban but they were convinced that she was guilty of all charges. I am sorry." He sighed sadly.

"I am sorry too. It must have been hard on you too. I see how much you care about her." She reached out and placed her hand on his. Sirius nodded smiling a bit.

"What happened with Cygnus and Druella? Did he ever find out? Cissy never talks about her father." she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"He did actually; a year later. It was ugly. The rumors were that he killed Druella. Of course he denied it and the influence he had on the Ministry protected him from landing his ass in Azkaban." He explained. "That was the reason Bella didn't join the Death Eaters. After her mother was murdered by his own hands, Bellatrix didn't want to have anything in common with him. She distanced herself from him and protected Narcissa as well. Andromeda had already been disowned because she left to marry a Muggle-born. That didn't sit well with Cygnus. Andromeda took in both Bellatrix and Narcissa for the years the two were attending Hogwarts. I am guessing you already know the rest of the story." He shrugged.

Miranda nodded. "Uncle Lucius and Aunt Cissy got married and Bellatrix lived with them in the manor until she was locked up in Azkaban. I know that she spent quite a few nights to my father's house but she never told Cissy or Meda who it was. I've never met him either." She shrugged as she sipped the last butterbeer.

Sirius looked at the young woman sadly. He reached out and took her hand in his. "I'll do whatever I can to bring your mother back to you. I promise." He smiled encouraging at her. Miranda mirrored his smile and squeezed his hand.

They spent a few more hours talking about Bellatrix and Sirius asked a few things about herself since he wanted to know her better. They spent the time laughing about this and that until Miranda realized that she was late for her patrol in Hogsmeade. Darkness had already fallen and most students had returned to the castle. With a final hug from Sirius, she walked outside and made a few rounds around the shops and even entered to a few. She found some students in Zonko's and kindly asked them to return to the castle.

The girl headed towards the Shrieking Shack since she didn't want to use the long trail back to Hogwarts. She had found the small tunnel a few years ago when she discovered how to immobilize the Whomping Willow. It made her trips to Hogsmeade faster.

As she walked out from the Whomping Willow she heard a frantic call for help coming from the Forbidden Forest. Miranda took off towards the forest without hesitation. She pulled her wand out and casted the Wand Lighting Charm trying to light her way and find the person that was in trouble.

Remus, who was at that time checking the Marauder's Map to assure himself that all the students were safely in the castle, noticed Miranda's footprints heading towards the Forbidden Forest. As soon as she entered the forest, the footprints were gone. Remus leaped from the couch and left his quarters with his wand in hand and wearing his casual clothes. He tore through the hallways and finally found himself outside of the Forbidden Forest. He casted the Patronus Charm, ordering the wolf to find Miranda. As the wolf trotted in the forest, Remus followed after it.

"Hello?" she called out as she felt fear creep up at her. "Hello?" she called out louder.

"Help!" she heard it clearer now and she took off after it.

Suddenly a figure materialized in front of her, halting her. Miranda gasped as she recognized the man in front of her from the posters hanging in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

"Lestrange." She muttered and the man cackled.

"You don't seem as clever as they say. You should be running by now." He pointed out taking his wand out. Miranda didn't need to be told twice. She took off running towards the direction she came from.

Rodolphus didn't cast immediately. He could easily catch her if he wanted to. Lestrange let her have an early start before chasing after her. He always loved to toy with his victims before killing them.

"Confrigo!" he yelled as he got closer, sending the curse to the tree Miranda was running past. The blast of the curse sent her flying and landing on her back. A huge branch landed on her ankle making her scream in pain. Rodolphus walked towards her with a grin and a crazy gleam in his eyes. The young woman panted and tried to free her foot ignoring the pain that shoot up her leg every time she pulled. Rodolphus stopped beside her. "No one betrays me! No one!" he yelled as he pointed the wand at her.

Suddenly the mad wizard noticed a white light coming towards him fast. "You are in luck, little girl." He hissed at her and disappeared towards the sky in a black smoke. As the white wolf stopped by her side she thought she was hallucinating. "That's a great time to imagine Remus' Patronus." She muttered and hissed as she felt the pain intensifying.

As she heard footsteps she thought that the wizard was back and started pulling her leg harder. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she tried to free herself.

"Stop, Miranda! Don't!" Remus ordered her as he placed his hand on her shoulder and fell to her knees. Miranda's head snapped to the side and a relieved smile spread on her lips.

"Remus!" she said breathlessly realizing that she used his name for the first time. As Remus heard her say his name his stomach fluttered a bit. He ignored it for the time being as he took out his wand and levitated the branch away.

"What happened?" he asked noticing her tears.

"R-Rodolphus L-Lestrange." she muttered. "He tried to kill me." Silent tears made their way down her cheeks again. Remus took her head between his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"Shhh you are safe now. Everything is fine." He smiled relieved as he wrapped his arms around her. Miranda wrapped her slim hands around his waist and shuddered feeling safe again.

"Let's get you back to the castle." He spoke up after a few minutes. He stood up and looked around trying to see if Rodolphus was waiting to attack them. As he was trying to listen for anything out of the order, Miranda had stood up and started limping towards the castle.

"What do you think you are doing?" Remus asked causing her to jump a bit. "You are not walking back in this state." He pointed out and with a sudden move he had her in his arms bridal style. Miranda was quite surprised and she did nothing to hide it. Thankfully it was dark enough to hide Remus' small blush. "Wrap your arms around my neck. It's easier to carry you this way." He smiled at her.

Hesitantly Miranda's arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Remus started walking with ease towards the castle. Miranda was quite surprised by Remus' strength. He seemed too slim to possess strength like that.

Sometime during their walk back to the castle, Miranda leaned her head against Remus' chest. As soon as they neared the Hospital Wing exhaustion and pain made her pass out in his arms.

"Thank you, Remus." She muttered before passing out.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat." He smiled down at her and called for Poppy as he stepped inside the double doors.

 _ **/I wanted to write more but I think that this is a good point to finish the chapter. I hope you liked it. Sorry for the delay but you know how life is :)**_

 _ **Reviews make me really really happy!**_

 _ **Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you had a great one ;)**_


	6. Tense much?

Miranda didn't wake up at all for the rest of the night. Madam Pomfrey fixed her up nicely. She gave her potions to drink without waking her up and wrapped a bandage dipped in healing potion around her ankle. She placed her leg higher than the rest of her body and let her heal in peace.

"Remus, she'll be fine. You can go." She whispered placing her hand on his shoulder. The Professor was worrying sick when the young woman didn't wake up. He wouldn't be able to rest if he returned to his room without being sure that the girl was awake and well.

"It's okay, Madam Pomfrey. I have too much tension to sleep right now." He patted her hand. The two had formed quite a beautiful friendship. She used to fix him up all through his Marauder's years after his transformation and she started again now that he was teaching at Hogwarts.

"As you wish, dear." She smiled tiredly. Remus was staring at the young woman lying on the cot with worry in his eyes. Madam Pomfrey didn't miss it. "You care about her, don't you?" she smiled at him.

Remus blushed. "I care for her as I would care for every student." She squeezed his shoulder.

"I've been alive long enough to recognize the difference between platonic love and the most powerful kind, my boy. Don't try to kid yourself. You spent most of your life alone and afraid and that's not healthy." She pointed out and Remus hung his head down. "She is an amazing girl." She retracted her hand and turned to leave.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Have a good night." He looked at her with a genuine smile. She turned and nodded.

"Good night, my dear boy."

Remus listened to Madam Pomfrey's footsteps. When he heard the soft closing of the door he stood up and walked closer to the sleeping woman. He sighed as he looked at the small scratches on her face. He was still kicking himself for not being faster. If he had stayed with her and Sirius they would have returned together and she wouldn't be in that state.

His hand reached out on its own accord and he watched helplessly as it touched her soft cheek. His fingertip ran over a small scratch but Miranda didn't even move a muscle. His eyes fell on the strands of hair that had escaped from her ruined crown braid. He softly moved them away from her face and touched her soft skin again.

Madam Pomfrey was right that his feelings were running deeper than friendship. But Remus was not going to put Miranda in risk with his furry little problem. He wasn't going to put her in that kind of danger. Not to mention that the brunette didn't know about his lycanthropy. He was sure that she was going to run away in fear if she ever found out. He wouldn't blame her. How could he?

"The man, you will fall in love with, will be really lucky. A smart, beautiful and kind woman like you deserves the best." He whispered as he leaned and kissed her forehead.

"Remus…" the sleeping girl muttered opening her eyes slowly.

"Shhh, you are dreaming." Remus blushed as he looked down at her and panicked a bit. The girl nodded and closed her eyes again. A short sigh of relief escaped his trembling lips. He pulled his chair closer and sat down. The werewolf rested his elbow on the cot and watched the girl sleep. He was more in peace now that she awoke, even if it was for just a few seconds. A few minutes later he fell asleep holding her hand.

The next morning Miranda opened her eyes to see Madam Pomfrey bringing her a few potions. Her sleepy eyes fell upon what seemed like a head on her cot. She raised her head just to look at it better. She blushed smiling as she noticed that Professor Lupin must have spent the night in the Hospital Wing with her.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Poppy whispered as she passed her the potions. Miranda downed them all grimacing at the horrible taste.

"I feel fine. My foot is aching a bit though." She muttered as she moved it a bit.

"That's normal. When Professor Lupin brought you in, you ankle was broken. I patched it up really nicely so you have nothing to worry. The Headmaster asked me to call for him when you were ready to see him." Madam Pomfrey informed the young witch.

"Can you postpone it for an hour or so? I'd like to talk to Professor Lupin first." She asked pleadingly.

A soft snore made both women look at the sleeping figure. Miranda covered her mouth with her hand to stop her giggles while Poppy chuckled.

"Sure, dear." She nodded and left the two alone.

Miranda looked down at her hand just noticing that Remus was holding it tightly. She couldn't help but beam at the scene. She brought her other hand to run through his hair. As she felt the softness between her fingers her stomach fluttered playfully.

Suddenly Remus stirred in his sleep and Miranda pulled her hand back in fear. He groaned a bit as he sat up and felt his muscles ache in pain. He shouldn't have fallen asleep in such uncomfortable position.

Miranda kept silent as she watched him stretch. When his eyes fell upon her face he grinned. "Hey! How are you feeling?" he asked relieved that she seemed so much better.

"I feel great. My ankle is annoying me but I'll live. Thanks to you." She smiled and Remus felt his cheeks heat up a bit.

"I couldn't really leave you out there to die." He pointed out smirking.

"How did you know I was there anyway?"

"Well I-I noticed that you weren't back for dinner and then I contacted Sirius and he told me that you had left the Three Broomsticks two hours before he did. No one had seen you so I sent my Patronus out to find you. I had a feeling that something was out of place." He lied mostly since he couldn't mention the Marauders' map but he didn't hide the fact that he was worried about her.

"Thank you for saving me Remus." She smiled and pulled his hand on her lap cupping it with both of hers. He nodded as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

They were both staring in each other eyes when the Headmaster entered. "Miss Black, I am so happy to see that you are well." He exclaimed and Remus immediately stood up and pulled his hand away. Miranda missed the warmth from his hand. "Oh Remus, my boy. I didn't know you were still here." He smirked and looked at him.

"Good morning, Headmaster." He nodded. Dumbledore smirked knowingly. He turned his attention to the young woman with a worried smile.

"Miss Black, I know that you are in need of rest but I am afraid that I am going to need all the details about the previous night. I need to inform the Aurors." He explained to Miranda and the brunette nodded. Remus offered his chair to the Headmaster and stood next to the window looking outside.

Not missing a second, the girl recited the events of the previous night to Dumbledore. She included the fact that she used the secret passage through the Shack, which Remus had already figured out by now. It worried the two men that she was using the Shack since she could easily come face to face with a certain werewolf. Albus figured out that he had to do something about that.

Miranda explained how she was lured into the forest and how Rodolphus chased her yelling that he was about to take revenge for Bellatrix's betrayal. Her voice broke when she mentioned that he was ready to kill her off. Remus could still hear the terror in her voice. He felt his chest tighten as he remembered how afraid she was when he found her. He didn't want to see her like that again.

"I am sorry you had to go through that, Miss Black." Dumbledore stood up slowly. "I'll make sure that nothing like that will happen ever again. I am afraid I have to warn you not to use that passage again. It's close to the Forbidden Forest and I would like to avoid such a mishap." At this Remus breathed out a sigh of relief, thankfully only audible to him. "I have to deal with the Aurors now so get some rest, will you?" Dumbledore nodded at her and turned to leave.

"Excuse me, Headmaster?" Remus spoke up and took a step closer to him. "Shouldn't you appoint someone to guard Miss Black's room? Lestrange managed to come so close to Hogwarts. What if he manages to enter the castle under our noses? He is a really skilled wizard. What if he attacks her when she is asleep?" Remus pointed out gesturing towards the girl.

"I don't need a babysitter." The girl intervened loudly. Neither man acknowledged her though.

"Oh you are right, my boy. I forgot about that. I've already arranged for the girl's aunt to stay with her until Rodolphus is caught. She will be here shortly." He smiled kindly at the worried man.

As if on cue, the doors to the Hospital Wing opened and Narcissa Malfoy in all her glory entered. Her footsteps were quite hurried as she passed by the two men and immediately wrapped her arms around her niece. "Oh thank Merlin, you are okay." She muttered holding her tightly. She pulled back a bit to check on the girl smiling relieved. "I was so worried about you." She breathed out cupping the young woman's face. Most of her scratches were gone by now thanks to Pomfrey's potions.

After a while Narcissa realized that she hadn't acknowledged the two men that were standing a few steps away. "How rude of me?" she exclaimed and she walked over to Dumbledore. "Thank you for informing me, Headmaster. It's nice to see you." She shook his hand. "Of course, Ms Malfoy. It's a pleasure to see you again." The Headmaster nodded politely. "I am afraid I have some business to attend to." He added and after nodding he made his exit.

Her eyes zoomed on the other wizard that was previously stood next to Dumbledore. "Remus? What are you doing here?" she smiled surprised to see him.

"Hello Cissy." He smiled at her and hugged her softly. Miranda was watching with curiosity at the two adults. "Dumbledore hired me for the DADA position." He explained as they pulled back from each other.

"Figures. You were really good in that subject if I remember correctly." Narcissa beamed, happy for her old friend.

"Excuse me, do you know each other?" Miranda spoke up, curiosity eating her alive.

"Of course we are. We spent a lot of time in the library studying during Remus' last year in Hogwarts. Your mother introduced him to me when she started hanging out with Sirius. But that's a story for another time." Narcissa smiled and walked closer to her niece.

"Your aunt was an exceptional student as well. I am pretty sure you got that from her." Remus smirked looking at Miranda. Miranda blushed and looked away.

"Probably." Narcissa chuckled. The two adults spent a few minutes talking about their school years while Miranda watched the exchange between them. She listened intently since that gave her the opportunity to learn a bit more about her Professor.

After a few minutes Remus excused himself since he had classes to teach and the two women were left alone. It didn't take long for Madam Pomfrey to stop by to check on the injured girl. She spent some time checking her ankle and finally discharged her after Miranda promised to stay in her room for the rest of the day.

In the afternoon Joanna stopped by the Head Girl's quarters to check on her friend and give her the homework. She had spoken to the Headmaster who had informed her of what happened to her best friend and since Joanna had classes she wasn't able to check on her sooner.

Narcissa found the opportunity to go check on her son and left the two girls alone. As soon as the door was closed both girls spoke at once. They stopped and laughed at each other. Miranda hit her on the shoulder as they sat on the bed. "You go first." She smirked.

"Oliver asked me to the Ball." Joanna exclaimed clapping her hands excitedly. Miranda joined the clapping equally excited for her friend. "It was about time!" she grinned. She was so happy for her friend which totally explained her excitement even though she almost died the previous night. Miranda had learned not to dwell on the past. She wasn't the kind of person that let the fear control her life. She was alive and safe at the moment and that was what mattered to her. The two girls chatted for a few minutes about Oliver. Well Joanna did most of the talking since she was reciting how it happened and Miranda couldn't help but squeal every time the other girl told her about Oliver's sweet actions.

After the subject of Oliver was finally over, it was time for Miranda to recite her own story. She started with everything Sirius told her about her mother and then moved to the part in which she was attacked by Rodolphus and how Remus saved her.

"He was really worried about you, Mi. It's a really big coincidence that he found you so fast. I am sure that he is hiding something about the way he found you. Everything sounds so convincingly. Obviously he was looking for you. I have a feeling that there are more to his story. We will figure it out though, don't worry." Joanna winked at her conspiratorially.

"Why am I not surprised?" Miranda rolled her eyes and Joanna laughed. The two girls dived under the blankets chuckling. The girls spent the night ranting about Remus and Oliver unstoppably. They only quieted down when Narcissa stopped by to check on Miranda. She didn't stay long in the room, though. She had realized that she had interrupted a private conversation when the girls stopped talking abruptly after her entrance. When Narcissa left to retire for the night both girls started chattering immediately. They both ended up sleeping until morning.

 _ **One week later…**_

It had been a week since the attack and the Aurors hadn't had any luck in catching Rodolphus. Sirius and Lucius were close into finding him though. The fact that he used magic when he attacked Miranda gave them quite the advantage. His magical trace was easier to track because of that, but he was moving a lot so they hadn't manage to capture him yet. Sirius wasn't giving up.

Miranda spent a lot of time in the library or in her room studying and practicing. Her private lessons were paying off nicely and her part time apprentice was going really well.

Joanna spent a lot of time in Quidditch Practice but she also spent time with Oliver going for a stroll around the lake or flying together on their broomsticks. A romance was blooming between them for sure.

Narcissa was still staying with Miranda to keep her safe from harm. She even helped her, giving her tips of how to acquire her Animagus Form. After all that's why she was having extra lessons with Professor McGonagall. Miranda was sure that she would be able to achieve her Animagus Form before Christmas.

As for her private lessons with Professor Snape, she had already managed to brew Wolfsbane correctly more than once. The only problem she was having with Veritaserum and Felix Felicis.

Her part-time apprentice had started at the start of the week and she had spent an hour or two before dinner almost every day, helping Remus mark essays. Remus and Miranda had discussed it and finally reached an agreement on how they were going to make it work. Even though, Remus had voiced his disagreement about it, Miranda was having none of that. Remus had tried to change her mind since the schedule was going to be really hard on Miranda, but the girl was just too stubborn.

Before dinner on weekdays, Miranda was helping Remus with grading and on weekends Remus was helping Miranda with her Patronus as well as other spells that she could have problems with. So far, the only spell she couldn't get right was the Patronus Charm.

On Saturday afternoon, Miranda made her way towards the DADA classroom. She had the first practical lesson with Professor Lupin and she had just returned from Hogsmeade with her aunt.

Miranda knocked softly on the door. When she heard the soft 'enter' she pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Good afternoon, Professor." She smiled as she walked towards his desk.

"Have a seat, Miss Black. I am just finishing up an essay and then we can start." He said before looking back to the essay.

Miranda's eyes were focused on him as he was scribbling down on the paper. He seemed paler than usual and he had black circles under his eyes. He seemed a bit tired as well and Miranda looked at him worriedly.

Finally Remus stood up and motioned for her to stand up as well. With a flick of his wand all desks and chairs had moved to the side. "Professor, are you feeling alright? You don't seem very well." Miranda asked as she placed her hand on his arm. He smiled tiredly at her and nodded.

"It's just a cold, Miss Black. Nothing I can't handle." He assured her and took a step back. His senses were heightened because it was the night of the full moon and her perfume was torturing his nostrils. Nevertheless after a while he found out that it didn't bother him that much. Quite on the contrary, it intrigued him.

"Am I correct in assuming that you've been practicing the Patronus Charm with the same memory this past few days?" he asked as he paced the room slowly.

"Yes, sir. That's what I've been doing but so far I haven't seen any change." She said frowning a bit.

"Don't despair, Miss Black. I am guessing that you just haven't found the correct memory yet." He smiled encouragingly at her. "Give it a try again." He prompted her crossing his arms and watching.

The brunette nodded and raised her wand saying the incantation loudly. The usual silver mist shot from the wand for a few seconds. Miranda lowered her wand and sighed. Remus watched her disappointed expression with a pang on his chest.

"Maybe we should work on your casting stance first. May I?" he asked as he came closer. The young woman felt her heart beating loudly as he came closer to her but she nodded giving him permission.

Remus walked behind her and wrapped his fingers around her hand; the one that was holding her wand. His other hand was rested on her other shoulder and he used it to pull her shoulder a bit back. He pushed her foot with his own just so that it was forward than the other. "Okay bend your right leg just a bit." He said slowly and Miranda felt a shiver ran against her spine.

"When you are casting, you have to flick your wand in a circle first to increase the strength of the spell." He demonstrated moving her right hand in a circle. "Most wizards and witches forget about that rule." He pointed out. His other hand, which was resting on her shoulder, moved and rested on her belly, holding her in place. "Now think of another memory and cast again." He instructed softly. Remus was so focused on how to fix her stance that he didn't notice the effect he had on the young woman.

Miranda didn't trust her voice so she just nodded. She rummaged through her brain trying to find a happy memory she hadn't tried out yet. Suddenly a thought came into her mind and she couldn't help but smile excited. The memory she was going to use was that exact moment; the moment that she was between her Professors arms. Even though it was totally platonic, Miranda couldn't help but feel happy. "I think I am ready." She muttered as she turned her head to the side trying to glance at him. Remus' body was flat against hers; something that Remus hadn't noticed until she turned to look at him.

The light-haired Professor lowered his head and looked into her eyes. The tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Miranda was blushing bright red and Remus could feel his pale cheeks turn a little pink. Her breath hitched as she tried to breathe. He finally realized what was happening and took a step back.

Miranda immediately missed the warmth his body was providing her with but stayed focused. She didn't want to give the wrong impression. "Whenever you are ready." He nodded as he watched from behind her.

Miranda closed her eyes and tried to picture and feel the moment they shared a few seconds away. When she achieved it she opened her eyes and moved her wand-hand in a circle. "Expecto Patronum!" she called out loudly.

They both watched as a powerful silver essence escaped from the tip of her wand. Miranda looked closely as four legs trotted around the classroom. She tried to make out the shape of the animal but she was unable to do so. The animal trotted towards Remus and sat in front of him looking up. Its body was still blurry and so was its head.

Remus kneeled and examined it. "That's one of her best tries. You are definitely getting there but I am afraid that I don't know what it is just yet." He spoke up, his eyes never leaving the animal. When he noticed that the animal started fading he looked at Miranda and realized that the girl was swaying from side to side. He rushed to her in an instance and steadied her.

"Here." He said raising some chocolate towards her lips. The girl bit the chocolate and felt better immediately. "I think you need a break. We've been working on that for a while now." He pointed out and let go of her when she could stand on her own feet.

"That was awesome." She beamed at him. "Thank you so much for your help, Professor."

"You're welcome, Miss Black. I am afraid we'll have to cancel tomorrow's lesson though. I will be away for something so I won't be able to tutor you." He explained and a small frown appeared on her face.

"I understand. Don't worry about it. I will focus to my other lessons." She nodded and gathered her things. "Have a good night, Professor." She muttered before leaving closing the door behind them. Remus sighed and sat behind his desk defeated. He checked his wristwatch and stood up with heavy steps. It was time for his transformation, so he walked down to the Dungeons and received his potion from Snape.

After he downed the Wolfsbane he walked out of the castle and towards the Whomping Willow.

 _ **Three days later…**_

Miranda collapsed on the Slytherin Table next to Joanna and she started picking on her food. "This has got to stop." Joanna whispered to her. "From the day he left the castle you've lost your spirit. He will be back sooner or later. Snape told us so." She nudged her playfully.

"It's not because he is not here. I am just tired, Jo." Miranda lied but that didn't really fool her friend.

"Oh look. There he is." Joanna shook her a bit and Miranda's head snapped up. "Where?" she smiled immediately.

"Merlin's Balls, that was so easy!" Joanna started laughing loudly.

"You are such a horrible friend." Miranda cried out and punched her arm as hard as she could do. Unfortunately for Miranda that was not powerful enough.

"I am sorry. I am sorry." Joanna raised her hands in surrender laughing. Miranda shook her head and ate a bit of her food.

After a few minutes Narcissa came strolling in and stopped by the two girls. "Remember when you asked me to help you with a costume idea based on your mother's dress?" she asked with a grin. With Miranda's nod Narcissa grinned even more. "I have the most brilliant idea. Joanna, bring your dress too. We'll fix them both tonight." Narcissa felt like a teenager again. It had been so long since she had planned her own Halloween Ball.

Both girls stood up and followed after Narcissa equally excited. As the girls walked through the door, Miranda turned to glance at the Head Table. She was surprised to see him sitting there looking much better than he did the last time she saw him. He was looking at her too, so the girl smiled sweetly at him and sent a small wave his way.

 _ **Author's note: First of all, thank you for your reviews, guys. You have no idea what it means to me.**_

 _ **Secondly, on Monday I am going back to college so I'll be a little busy so it's possible that it will take me longer to update. I apologize in advance for that.**_

 _ **Thirdly, for some reason I wasn't quite satisfied with this chapter but maybe it's just me? Leave your reviews and let me know what you think about it please?**_

 _ **I can't wait to hear your thoughts about the chapter!**_


	7. A Magical Halloween Ball

_**Author's note:**_ _I am sorry it took me so long to update the story. You can blame my college schedule and my writer's block. And also I would like to thank you for your reviews. They mean the world to me._

 _Without further ado I think we should carry on with the story, don't you think? Enjoy!_

The three women worked furiously on their dresses for the past few weeks. When Joanna and Miranda had classes, Narcissa stayed in Miranda's room coming up with new ideas for their dresses. So far they had finished with the designs of the gowns.

The only thing left for Narcissa to do was to return to her house to retrieve Bella's dress and for the three of them to charm the dresses to look like the designs they had drawn on the parchments. The ball was only two days away and Miranda was starting to get nervous that they wouldn't be able to finish in time. If that wasn't enough the girl hadn't gotten a date for the ball. A few Slytherins had asked her but she turned them down.

She wanted to have a chance to dance with Remus and if she had a date that wouldn't be possible. Thus she was dateless at the moment but she wasn't bothered by it. Joanna had insisted to ask Oliver to set Miranda up with one of his friends but Miranda turned that offer down as well.

Dumbledore had canceled all lessons for the day prior to the Ball. That way the students had time to prepare. The three women spent that day in the privacy of Miranda's quarters charming the three dresses as well as the three pairs of shoes and the accessories.

When they finished, they stood side by side and admired their work.

"I think we did a great job." Joanna grinned from ear to ear as she looked at her dress dreamily. Narcissa nodded smiling but she didn't look at her own dress. She was looking at Miranda's imagining the young woman wearing it. She felt an ache on her heart when she realized how much alike to her mother she would look when wearing her dress.

"Your mother would have been so proud of you if she saw you wearing her gown." She muttered to Miranda and the brunette turned to look at her with a smile.

"You think?" she asked when Joanna walked closer to inspect her green dress.

"I know." She hugged her niece tightly.

Narcissa gasped when she noticed the time. "Okay girls. Off to bed. You are going to need your beauty sleep for tomorrow." The two younger women nodded reluctantly but walked towards Miranda's room. They bid the older woman goodnight and disappeared behind the door.

They changed into their pajamas and dived under the blankets. Miranda sat up with a sudden gasp and turned to look at Joanna. Joanna sat up alarmed as well. "What is it?" she asked worried.

"Did you inform Oliver to wait for you here and not outside of the Slytherin Common Room?" she asked with wide eyes.

Joanna raised an eyebrow and punched her shoulder. "Are you a bloody moron? You almost gave me a heart-attack. Of course I did." She rolled her eyes and fell back on her pillow.

Miranda rubbed her shoulder and smiled a bit. "Sorry." She fell back on her pillow and turned to look at Joanna. "Do you think that he will ask me to dance?" she muttered as she bit her lip nervously.

"Who? Oliver?" Joanna teased her with a grin and Miranda glared at her. "Oh you are talking about Professor McDreamy! If he sees you in that dress, he won't be able to resist. Now get some sleep." Joanna winked before closing her eyes and falling into a dreamless sleep almost immediately.

Miranda tossed and turned for about an hour before she managed to calm her nerves and fall asleep. Her dreams were full of different scenarios of the Ball. All of them ended the same way; in a way that she wanted to be real.

The next morning, Miranda was awakened by Joanna's excited squeal. "Get up! Get up! This is the day." She had cried out and jumped off the bed heading to the bathroom.

Miranda groaned and stretched yawning. She cursed mentally for being woken up but then realized why Joanna was so excited and she couldn't help but feel a bit giddy herself. She waited for Joanna to exit the bathroom and then got in herself. After a few minutes both girls made their way to breakfast.

As soon as Miranda walked in the Great Hall, her eyes caught Remus'. She didn't notice that Narcissa was sitting next to the man. Miranda offered him a small shy smile which Remus returned. Narcissa didn't miss it. Her icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously as she watched the exchange.

"Are you going to the Ball, Remus?" she asked not taking her eyes off of her niece. She caught her looking up at the Head Table every now and then and she hummed suspiciously.

"Ehm I am sorry, Cissa. What did you say?" Remus turned at the blonde beside him.

"A bit distracted, are we, Remus?" she smirked amused. "I asked if you were attending the Ball tonight." She added.

Remus blushed a bit and nodded. "Yes I will be there. Dumbledore's orders." He looked at his plate trying to hide his blush.

"I guess I'll see you there then." She smiled and stood up. Narcissa walked down the few steps and exited the Great Hall. She walked towards the lake as her mind was swarming with thoughts. Something was clearly off but she just couldn't pinpoint what. She had asked Miranda about her secret crush but the girl refused to answer any question that could have helped Narcissa figure it out. The only question she answered was the house he was in; Gryffindor. That wasn't helpful. There were tons of students in Gryffindor House. With a huff, she decided that it would be better to wait for Miranda to tell her herself than start snooping around.

The blonde slipped off her shoes as she sat on the ground and placed her feet in the slightly cold water. She shuddered as she felt something wrap around her ankle. A big tentacle stopped in front of her face. Narcissa chuckled and patted it softly. "Hello, old friend." She muttered and pulled a piece of her uneaten toast. The Giant Squid wrapped its other tentacle around it and in a matter of seconds disappear under the surface. Narcissa shook her head amused and removed her feet from the water. She slipped her feet in her shoes and walked back to the castle.

In the afternoon, Miranda's room was a mess. It was bombarded; snacks on all the tables, clothes scattered around, spells flying left and right and three women running around only in their underwear and their night robes. They kept flicking their wands here and there trying to fix a few details.

"Okay!" Narcissa called out loudly and the girls stopped to look at her. "Stop the madness. Your dresses look great. We need to start on the make-up and the hair if we want to be on time. Who will go first?" she asked looking at them.

"Joanna!" Miranda raised her arm and pointed at her friend. She was too nervous to go first. Narcissa nodded and beckoned the redhead closer. "Your hair will be as we discussed, correct?" she asked and Joanna nodded. Narcissa sent a spell on Joanna's hair and watched as they fell in soft waves with just the right volume. Narcissa smiled satisfied and sent another spell on the girl's face. Small white dots appeared around her eyes and brown lines similar to branches were painted over her eyebrows. Her lips turned a bit brown-black-ish.

"Okay. Put on your dress and we'll add the leaves-crown after." She suggested and the girl hurried away with her dress in her arms. Narcissa turned to look at her niece.

"You know what? Finish with your hair and make-up and I'll fix mine. I know the spells." Miranda smiled sweetly and hurried to her room just as Joanna was coming out of it.

Narcissa sighed and turned to the mirror. She curled her normally straight blonde hair and decided to go with a simple make-up. Her dress was too much as it was. "Better keep the rest of it simple." She muttered.

Joanna placed the crown on her head with a huge grin. Narcissa turned to look at her and beamed. "You look great, love." She nodded and watched amused as the girl twirled around. Narcissa disappeared for a few minutes to change into her own dress and then walked back on the living room. Joanna let out a wolf whistle as the blonde entered. "Wow, Ms M. You look magnificent." She grinned. "Thank you, dear." She nodded as Circe interrupted them from her portrait. "Two gentlemen are waiting for you, ladies." She said with a bored expression.

"Tell them, we'll be right there. Thank you." Narcissa nodded and Circe disappeared with a final nod.

"Miranda, are you coming?" Joanna called out and Miranda's head popped out of the door.

"Go ahead. I'll find you there." She smiled and closed the door again. Joanna and Narcissa shared a shrug and walked outside to meet their dates.

Joanna was the first out of the door and she grinned as soon as she saw Oliver waiting for her. The moment Oliver set eyes on her his mouth fell open. His eyes scanned her from the bottom up and his ears turned a bit red.

He noticed how the upper part of the dress hugged her curves till her waist and how it fell around her legs freely. Also green tulle was pinned around her waist and fell around her legs as well. "You are really beautiful, Jo." He managed to say and Joanna's cheeks matched the color of her hair in an instance. "Thank you. You look quite handsome as well." She smiled as she noticed his knight costume. He offered his arm and she gladly took it as they walked towards the Great Hall.

Narcissa walked out a few minutes after Joanna and Oliver took off and she grinned as she noticed her husband leaning against a wall looking bored. He hated waiting but he never whined about it to his wife. Narcissa cleared her throat and Lucius' head snapped up. "Well?" she asked as she twirled.

Lucius walked closer as he looked at her with lust. Narcissa was wearing a strapless green dress that hugged her curves just as Joanna's did. The only difference was that Narcissa's dress was really tight from her breasts to the middle of her thighs. The rest of the dress opened widely until it reached the floor. Her hair fell in untamed curls around her face, which was hidden under a silver mask. The dress was charmed to look as if sparkly precious stones were stitched on it.

Lucius took her hand and twirled her until she was leaning against his chest. "You look exquisite, my dear wife." He muttered before leaning and capturing her lips in a loving kiss. "But something is missing." He pointed out as he pulled a tiny box from his pocket. He used his wand to enlarge it and held it as Narcissa opened it. A diamond necklace was resting inside. "You never cease to amaze me, my loving husband. Thank you." She smiled and turned around as Lucius secured it around her neck.

"Where is Miranda?" he asked looking at the portrait that guarded the quarters. "She will find us there. Let's go." Narcissa explained as she placed her arm on the crook of his elbow.

Meanwhile, Miranda was pacing in her room trying to decide what to do with her hair. Should she tame her brunette curls? Should she pin them up? Should she just straighten them? She huffed as she sat on her bed.

Her eyes fell on a photo on her nightstand. She looked at it seeing her mother laugh with her sisters wearing the same dress. Miranda smiled widely. "Thanks, mum." She muttered as she pointed the wand on her hair and muttered the correct spell.

She slipped the dress on and twirled in front of the mirror with a small smile. She took the silver crown her aunt made for her and placed it on top of her hair as soon as she finished with her make-up. Her eyes scanned her figure through the mirror and she smiled. "Only one thing left." She nodded as she pulled the sword from her closet and strapped it on the white scarf around her waist.

Miranda looked at her mirror one last time. "The Lady of the Lake at your service." She bowed gracefully with a giggle and then left the room.

Remus Lupin was bored out of his mind as he walked around the room checking on the students. Sirius was supposed to be arriving in any second. He was attending after Dumbledore's request and when he contacted Remus he had said that he had a surprise for him. Remus dreaded that part.

Sirius' surprises were never a good thing. Back in their school years, they always got in trouble because of Sirius' surprises. Remus shook his head trying to escape the pessimistic thoughts. As he looked up he noticed Miranda's friend stepping in the Hall. After five minutes Narcissa also walked in hanging from her husband's arm. Remus smirked as he took in Narcissa's appearance. From his memories of her, back when they were at school, Narcissa always dressed to kill. He wasn't surprised but he was curious to see how Miranda was going to look. His eyes stayed glued as he waited for her to enter.

The young Professor waited and waited but Miranda still hadn't appeared. To his surprise, Sirius strolled in with two pretty and young women hanging from each arm. He frowned as he quickly figured out Sirius' plan.

When Sirius spotted him, he grinned and walked to him as cocky as ever.

"Remus, my friend!" he greeted him and Remus pierced him with a disappointed look. Sirius didn't seem to notice. "Let me introduce you. This is Lola and Roxy." He pointed at each girl. "Ladies, this is my friend Remus." He nodded towards his friend.

"Nice to meet you, ladies." He nodded hiding the fact that he wanted to strangle Sirius at that moment. Roxy giggled, moved away from Sirius and wrapped her arm around Remus' arm. "Nice to meet you too, Remus." She nodded.

Remus looked at Roxy and then at Sirius questioningly. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Roxy is your date for tonight." Sirius grinned at his friend. At Remus' glare, Sirius' grin faltered. "We'll get you something to drink." Remus said and let the hand of his date drop before walking to the Head Table with Sirius in tow.

When they were quite a few steps away from their dates, Remus punched Sirius arm. "What the hell is wrong with you? You know I don't like it when you are fixing me up with women; in this case, girls." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't look at it like that, mate. You are just going to have a few drinks together. That's all. And maybe have some fun tonight." Sirius winked at his friend as he grabbed two glasses of wizard champagne. Remus glared at him and tried to keep back the urge to choke the life out of his best friend.

He grabbed two glasses as well and they walked back together trying to control his anger. Remus handed the glass to Roxy with a smile and she immediately wrapped her arm around his. The young Professor barely held back a groan.

Miranda's heels clicked loudly against the stone floor as she neared the Great Hall. She hadn't come across her fellow classmates so she figured that everyone was in the Hall by now. The thought of making an entrance made her more nervous. She stopped out of sight and leaned against the wall. "Stop being a wush." She mumbled. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled slowly and pushed away from the wall.

With her head held high she walked and entered. A small smile playing on her lips as she immediately spotted her McDreamy Professor. Nobody had noticed her yet so she grabbed the chance to stare at her Professor. He looked really handsome in his formal robes.

Remus, as if sensing her, looked up almost immediately. He froze at the spot as his eyes took in the stunning woman that walked in. It took him a minute to figure out that it was indeed Miranda. His eyes scanned her from top to bottom.

The young woman, who stood there, looked like an angel. Her body was enveloped in a simple white long dress which was covered in a thin layer of white lace. Her arms were covered in long loose-fitting sleeves made of tulle. The décolleté of her gown was complementing her beautifully without revealing too much. Her hair fell into soft curls around her and a small shining diadem was adorning her head. Remus couldn't stop staring at the stunning creature looking back at him.

Sirius noticed his friend's awe look and turned to look. He smiled brightly as he too noticed the girl. As if on cue people turned and stared at Miranda. Some boys gazed at her with lust while some girls looked at her with jealousy. Others simply looked in awe. Miranda felt her cheeks heat up when she managed to tear her gaze away from Remus. She wasn't expecting everyone to look at her. She glanced around in search of her friend. When she spotted her she hurried towards her. Joanna grinned at her.

"Babe, you look amazing." She grinned excitedly. Miranda smiled and pulled Joanna a few steps away.

"Who is the girl hanging from Remus? Is she his niece or something?" she asked whispering.

"His niece? How daft can you be? From what I gathered she is his date." Joanna explained looking at her with sadness. Miranda felt her hopes of dancing with him shatter. "I see." She mumbled and walked to greet her uncle.

The brunette pushed her disappointment aside and one small glimmer of hope stayed at the back of her mind. It was going to be a long night after all. Lucius hugged the girl softly and Miranda kissed his cheek. It had been a while since she last saw him. Lucius, being the man he was, couldn't help but spoil his niece a little. He pulled a second box from his pocket and pulled a diamond necklace for his niece.

"Uncle Luc, you shouldn't have." She breathed out in shock. He placed it around her neck and fastened it. Miranda's hand came up to touch the necklace. It was a thin strong chain with small diamond flowers pinned on it. Small leaves with tiny diamonds hang between the flowers.

"You can't blame an uncle for spoiling his niece." He shrugged with a charming smile. Narcissa, Lucius and Miranda chatted for a while and Miranda stole a few glances towards Remus. She had caught him looking at her quite a few times and her heart skipped a bit every time it happened.

As the slow dances began, dates and couples stepped on the dance floor. Dumbledore dimmed the lights with a flick of his hand and Lucius looked at Narcissa. Narcissa nodded towards their niece.

"Would my beautiful niece care to dance?" Lucius asked bowing and offering his hand. Miranda laughed and took his hand.

Lucius led her to the dance floor and placed his hand on her waist. Miranda placed a hand on his shoulder and they softly started swaying to the music. After a few turns and twirls Sirius approached them and cleared his throat. Lucius nodded and sent her twirling to Sirius. Miranda couldn't help but laugh as she changed partners in such a playful way. Narcissa took Miranda's place and danced with Lucius for the rest of the night.

"You look exactly like your mother, my dear." Sirius smiled and pressed a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, Sirius. How have you been?" she asked with a smile.

"Quite alright, darling. Although, I think that Remus is about to murder me." He pointed out with a nod. Miranda couldn't help but glance at Remus. The girl that was hanging from his arm was babbling at him but it seemed that Remus didn't pay attention to her. Instead, he was staring at Miranda.

"Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"For starters, I set him up with a girl. He hates being set up. And secondly, I am sure he'd prefer to be dancing with such a stunning creature like yourself." He laughed causing Miranda to blush.

"Well, I wouldn't mind dancing with him." She shrugged trying to keep back her excitement.

"Something could be arranged." Sirius winked at her. The two danced for a few more minutes before Dumbledore interrupted them, asking to dance with the Head Girl.

Sirius walked back to his date with a small smirk playing on his lips. "Moony, someone wants to dance with you." Sirius informed the group and Roxy immediately smiled. Remus raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Miranda mentioned that she would like to dance with her Professor. You wouldn't disappoint my cousin, would you?" Sirius smirked and Roxy frowned. Remus' eyes became wide as saucers. He, of course, would love to dance with Miranda but he didn't want to attract the attention and start false rumors. "Dumbledore is dancing with her. I am sure it would be no problem. I'll keep company to Roxy until you are back." He offered his arm to the blonde that hang from Remus at the moment. She changed arms with a disappointed look and Remus took a deep breath.

"You did an exceptional work with the Ball, Miss Black." Dumbledore smiled at the young woman.

"Thank you, Headmaster. I didn't want to disappoint my fellow classmates." She smiled kindly.

"From what I've gathered everyone is having a great time. Well done." He praised her. Miranda beamed at him proudly.

"Do you mind if I interrupt, Headmaster?" a deep familiar voice said from behind her. Miranda felt her heart stop at that. As Dumbledore let her hand go she turned and lost herself in two green orbs.

"Not at all, my dear boy." Albus said and took a step away. "Enjoy the rest of your night." He nodded at them and left in search of some pumpkin juice.

They stood there for a while looking at each other. Miranda's heart was beating fast as if it was going to jump out of her chest any minute now. Remus offered his hand and Miranda placed her own in his. He placed his other hand on her waist sending a jolt of electricity up her spine. A trembling hand was placed on his shoulder by Miranda.

"You look stunning, Miss Black." He whispered, a small smile playing on his lips.

Miranda couldn't help but blush at that. "T-thank you, Professor. You look quite handsome yourself." She smiled brightly at him. "I hope your date doesn't mind that you are dancing with me instead of her." A small smirk was playing at her lips. Roxy was glaring daggers at her but Miranda didn't care at the moment. She was dancing with Remus and she couldn't be happier.

"I am sure she'll be fine." He shrugged and Miranda tried to hide a smile.

As the minutes went by, Miranda felt a pull towards Remus. She didn't know if Remus felt the same but she was feeling really brave at the moment. She removed her hand from his hand and placed it on his other shoulder. She looked up at him shyly; her heart beating loudly hoping that he wasn't going to reject her.

Remus blushed a bit but moved his hands around her waist. Miranda, feeling even braver, leaned against him resting her head against his shoulder. Her thumb brushed the back of his neck and a jolt of electricity ran up his spine this time. They stayed like that until the song ended. Reluctantly they both pulled back from each other.

Miranda smiled at him as she gazed into his eyes. "Thank you for the dance, Professor." She nodded. He had no idea how much the dance meant for her.

"Always a pleasure dancing with you, Miss Black." He beamed at her. He took her hand and pressed his lips softly at the back of her hand. They bowed at each other and walked away.

Miranda grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice and waited for Joanna to finish dancing with Oliver. She was in need of girl talk. Her gaze caught Narcissa's gaze who was eyeing her suspiciously and she immediately looked away. She turned to look at Remus and growled dangerously when she noticed Roxy pulling him to the dance floor.

The green monster of jealousy was eating her alive. She glanced around her trying to find someone to dance with. That was when her gaze fell on the Head Boy, who was sulking to a corner looking at something on the dance floor. Miranda knew exactly what he was staring at; who he was staring at to be exact.

"Kane! Care to dance? Or dancing with a Slytherin is going to wound your pride?" she approached with a friendly smile. Kane smiled a bit. He immediately took her hand and walked to the dance floor.

"What's with the long face?" she asked as they started dancing slowly.

"As if you don't know Black." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, I told you to ask her for tonight." She huffed.

"I did but someone beat me to it." He frowned as he looked longingly at Paige Griffin.

"Next time don't wait until last minute to ask her." She pointed out. They both fell silent. Henry kept glancing at Paige and Miranda took the opportunity to look at Remus. Remus looked at her with an unreadable expression. Roxy followed his gaze and glared at Miranda.

Henry noticed the exchange even though he was quite clueless sometimes. "If everyone danced with whoever they wanted everyone would be happy." He muttered causing Miranda's head to snap back to him worried. "Don't worry. I won't tell." Miranda smiled gratefully at him.

Reaching a silent agreement both students danced together quietly stealing glances towards their crushes; neither teasing the other nor interrupting their thoughts.

Roxy smirked at Miranda as she leaned her head against Remus' chest. Miranda's hand squeezed Henry's shoulder unconsciously when she noticed it. Henry couldn't help but look at the couple Miranda was watching. He frowned and looked down at Miranda. He recognized the expression on her face. He had the same one when Paige turned him down because of that Jake idiot Browning. She was angry, disappointed and needed to escape. She looked at him.

"Go. I'll cover for you." He nodded. Miranda looked at Remus one last time with a small frown.

"Thank you, Henry." She muttered and left the room in a hurry.

Remus watched her leaving in a hurry and frowned. He looked at Sirius and Sirius looked pointedly at Roxy. Remus raised his eyebrow in understanding.

Miranda ran through the corridors, her heels, clicking against the floor, were echoing loudly in the deserted corridors. It took her a while until she came face to face with the entrance. She stepped out in the cold air and took a deep breath. She was panting heavily as her heels dug in the ground. With a growl she took them off and walked barefoot towards the lake. She leaned against a big tree and tried to catch her breath.

As she finally managed to calm down she rubbed her forehead trying to figure out why she reacted like that. She had a crush on her Professor, okay. And she was jealous of that girl, who seemed a few years older than her, but still that wasn't an excuse. Her thoughts were running wildly in her head. She hated that she was dealing with something she couldn't explain. Normally Miranda Lily Black was able to explain everything.

She huffed as she tossed a small pebble in the lake. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the soft footsteps of someone approaching her.

"You know, it's dangerous to be out here in the middle of the night." The deep familiar voice said causing her to jump startled. "I think you dropped something." He smiled kindly at her as she turned around.

Miranda looked at him and then looked at her shoes that were hanging from his finger. "Yeah, thanks." She simply said and leaned against the tree looking beyond the lake.

"Is everything okay? I can see that something is bothering you." Remus said softly as he took a step closer.

"Everything is fine, Professor. I just need some air. Your date is waiting for you, I am sure. There is no reason to disappoint her." She shrugged still not looking at him. Remus walked in front of her blocking her view. He smirked amused since she was behaving rather childishly and Remus knew that this was not something Miranda usually did.

"I am not leaving until I make sure you are safe and sound in the castle." He crossed his arms in front of his chest stubbornly. A soft smile was playing on his lips.

Miranda couldn't help but smile touched by his interest in her welfare. She stayed silent looking to the side.

"Is there a particular reason why you are behaving like a child and aren't able to look at me?" he asked with a smirk.

"I am not behaving like a child!" she huffed. Remus took a step closer but Miranda still didn't look him in the eyes.

"You know, I quite enjoyed the dance earlier." He pointed out.

"Oh yeah. I bet you did. Your date looked quite smitten with you." She muttered.

"I was talking about our dance." He explained causing Miranda's eyes to snap back at him. He smirked satisfied.

"W-what?" Miranda questioned.

"I'd love to do it again some time." He added and Miranda looked at him dumbfounded. "I never thought possible to leave Miranda Black speechless."

"W-what?" she questioned again. She cursed her brain mentally for not working properly.

Remus reached out and placed his hand at the back of her neck. He pulled her away from the tree, leaned in and captured her lips in a slow kiss. It didn't last long but it turned Miranda's stomach into a fluttering mess and her heart into a drum roll.

He pulled back slightly looking at her with a smile. "Did that make everything clear?" he asked in a whisper.

"Ehm not exactly. Can you do it again?" Miranda asked with a smile. Remus chuckled and then leaned in again. This time Miranda met him half way. Her hands fisted the front of his shirt as their lips met into a soft slow kiss. His lips were softer than they seemed and he tasted of champagne. In fewer words; Miranda couldn't get enough of him.

He backed her up against the tree and Miranda felt a thrill making her knees weak. He pulled back just an inch and looked into her sparkling gray eyes. "I've wanted to do that in quite some time." He muttered, his cheeks blushing.

"I've wanted you to do that in quite some time too." She teased him with a large smile. Remus chuckled and pecked her lips.

"Would you like to go back inside?" he asked hoping that she was going to turn that suggestion down.

"Can we stay here for a bit longer? We can't do that in there." She puckered her lips nervously.

"I was hoping you would say that." He beamed at her and pecked her lips again.

Remus sat down against the tree and pulled her down between his legs. Miranda gladly allowed him to place her in his arms and leaned against his chest comfortably. She turned to the side and kissed his cheek. "This feels nice." She muttered and closed her eyes.

"Yes, it feels magical." He whispered as he tighten his hold on her.

 _ **Author's note:**_ _So did you guys like it? I think I enjoyed writing this chapter even though it took me a while to finish. Real life got in the way I guess._

 _Here I have the links of the dresses the three women wore to the Ball. If they are not working (or can't see them because I don't know if links appear here) and you want to see them PM me so I can send you the links. (Remove the spaces wherever it's needed)_

 _ **Joanna's dress:**_ i446. photobucket albums/qq183/Marina_Theodoridou/Familiar%20Eyes%20-%20A%20RemusLupinOC%20fanfic/1f1f75cbea097dda1c352a19391a27a7_ zpsrbtey1kr. jpg  
 _ **Narcissa's dress:**_ i446. photobucket albums/qq183/Marina_Theodoridou/Familiar%20Eyes%20-%20A%20RemusLupinOC%20fanfic/1.0x0_ zpsnmzfsvkc. jpg  
 _ **Miranda's dress:**_ i446. photobucket albums/qq183/Marina_Theodoridou/Familiar%20Eyes%20-%20A%20RemusLupinOC%20fanfic/gall_white-angel5_ zpsff5pycgo. jpg

 _Let me know what you think please? Your reviews make me a better writer and motivate me. So please take a few minutes to review. Even one or two words are enough :) Thank you for reading. I love you all. I'll try to update as fast as I can._


	8. Revelations

**Author's note:** I am really really sorry for not updating this sooner. I'll completely understand if you have abandoned this story but I am back and ready to finish it! I am not sure about the number of the chapter left but I know how it ends. My muse had abandoned me for almost a year and real life also got in the way. I hope this chapter makes up for the time I've been away. No reason to keep you waiting though, is there? Enjoy! Please review if you'd like. It really keeps me motivated and makes me better at what I write.

It had been a week since the Halloween Ball and Miranda felt as if nothing could give an end to her happiness. The night of the Ball was spent under the tree near the Black Lake. When they returned back inside the castle, Remus walked her to her room and after making sure that the halls were empty he kissed her softly goodnight. The young woman closed the door behind her and could barely contain her excitement. She fell on her bed without changing and stared at the ceiling with a dreamy smile on her face. Soon exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep in her white gown.

The next day she immediately found Jo in the Slytherin Common Room and dragged her up her dorm. The rest of Jo's roommates had left for breakfast giving the two girls the privacy they needed. Joanna's reaction was a mixture of surprise, excitement and pride; the later was accompanied with an 'I told you so' which didn't surprise Miranda at all.

Now, a week after the incident, Miranda was walking to breakfast feeling completely exhausted. She had stayed up until after midnight studying about Animagi. She had borrowed each and every book she could find about it. Professor McGonagall believed that she was too close in achieving it and she had asked Miranda if she felt comfortable enough to try it. They scheduled an appointment and even though Miranda felt really confident about it, she started doubting herself in the evening.

~Flashback~

She hadn't wasted any time. She ran to the library and grabbed every book she could find about her subject. On her way back to the common room though, she came face to face with Remus. He smiled warmly at her and stopped to talk to her. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she gasped. The young woman was supposed to stop by his office and help him grade some papers but in her haste and her panic about the transformation she completely forgot about it.

"I am so sorry, Professor. I forgot about our appointment. I have a project with Professor McGonagall and in my panic it totally slipped my mind." She looked at him in the verge of tears suddenly feeling the pressure on her shoulders. She cursed herself for filling her schedule with so many activities and blamed it on her stubbornness and her need for perfection. Remus didn't say anything for a while. He only took the books from her hands and asked her to follow him to his office.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked worried. He took his time to answer and that only managed to stress her further.

Remus realized that she was starting to panic when he heard her, breathing faster.

"Pace yourself, Miss Black. You are not in trouble." He turned to look at her and smiled. That smile worked wonders on her. Her breathing slowed and she managed to smile back at him. She felt a lot calmer with just one small smile.

When they entered his office she immediately sat on the chair in front of his office. She usually occupied that particular chair when she was there to help with grading.

"You are not here to grade papers, Miranda." He spoke softly and approached a bookcase on the far end. She stood up confused and followed him suddenly stressed again. The bookcase slid to the side revealing an opening that apparently led to his room. He placed her books on a nearby table and walked to her. He immediately noticed that she was rubbing her hands together forcefully, an obvious sign of her stressful mind.

The young Professor took her hands in his and looked down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked softly and she looked up at him confused.

"Y-yeah. If this is about the apprenticeship, I promise it won't-"

"It's not about that. I am worried about you. You keep pushing and stressing yourself and this isn't healthy." He said moving to cup her cheek. His thumb moved slowly against her cheek and she felt her body relax from its rigid posture. "We need to stop this before you collapse. You should focus to your other projects and when you finish we can continue. From what I saw, you barely have time to eat or have fun and relax." He was surprised to see the tears fall down her cheeks before he even finished the sentence.

"No. No! I will not stop this. I can't believe you are even suggesting this, Remus." The young woman scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Now Miranda, wait a min-"

"No, you said what you wanted to say. It's my turn now." She cut him off and pressed her index finger against his chest. "Why did you think that? Did you suddenly got scared or something? Did Dumbledore find out and threatened you with your position? You knew… You knew that this relationship could be a problem for your job but you kissed me anyway and agreed to keep it a secret." She just went on and on and on and Remus realized that she had completely misunderstood his words. Her face had gone red but she kept talking.

The werewolf couldn't help but be amused at the out of control woman in front of him. She was panting heavily by the time she finished with her rant. Remus smiled softly and grabbed her finger that was still pressing on his chest. "Are you done?" he asked and as soon as Miranda opened her mouth to start again, Remus tugged her towards him.

The young woman closed her mouth startled and Remus leaned down to kiss her. Her eyes fluttered close and she kissed him back eagerly. It was slow and soft and Miranda thought she was flying. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed her body against his. He pulled back slightly and looked at her.

"Remember what I told you the night of the Ball? That I wanted to do that for quite some time?" he asked and with her nod, he continued. "I meant it. When I said we should stop, I was taking about you being my part-time apprentice."

"Oh." She blushed embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Yes, oh!" he mocked her and she slapped his shoulder playfully.

"But if we stop I won't have an excuse coming in your office every now and then." She pointed out and Remus thought for a moment still holding her against him.

"Well nobody needs to know that you are not my apprentice anymore." He shrugged with a smile.

"And they say Slytherins are cunning." She scoffed but grinned nonetheless.

"What can I say? You are a bad influence."

~End of flashback~

She pushed the thoughts of her troubles away for the moment and just smiled at the memory of the previous evening. She walked in the Great Hall and glanced at the Slytherin table looking for her friend. When she spotted her, she felt the urge to laugh. Joanna was leaning against her palm and was eating slowly; really slowly. She also seemed exhausted and Miranda guessed that the redhead had spent another night in a dark part of the castle snogging Oliver. She walked behind her, leaned in and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. Joanna immediately wiped her cheek making a disgusted sound.

"I hate you when you do that." She mumbled and Miranda chuckled and sat down next to her.

"That's why I do it." She chuckled and looked at the Head Table. Remus winked at her when no one was looking and Miranda blushed and smiled.

"What's new with you? You have a glow. Did you two, you know?" Jo perked up immediately expecting some juicy details.

"No. Why do you always think like that?" she rolled her eyes and bit on a small croissant.

"It's in my genes." She shrugged but didn't elaborate. She resumed her position leaning on her palm. "Oliver has Quidditch practice in the evening. What do you want to do? Maybe chill near the Black Lake?" Joanna asked and sipped some pumpkin juice.

"No. I can't today. I have an appointment with Professor McGonagall." Miranda stated and grabbed another croissant. With all the extra lessons she was taking, with her meetings with Remus and with Joanna spending so much time with Oliver they barely had time for each other. But there was a lot of understanding between the two girls and they always worked something out eventually. "Crap, I am late for Potions. I'll see you later." Miranda gasped and stood up. Joanna waved a hand at her and returned to her breakfast.

~A few hours later~

Miranda walked towards McGonagall's classroom relieved that she was done with her classes for the day. She had a one hour appointment with McGonagall and then she was free to enjoy her dinner and spend some time in her room. She knocked softly and opened the door after she heard her Professor calling her inside.

"Hello Professor."

"Hello Miss Black." The old woman smiled warmly at her. Miranda was sure that she was the only Slytherin McGonagall liked. "Did you read the book I suggested?"

"Yes, I did. I also read a few more. I think I am ready to try the transformation." Miranda said taking a deep breath. Minerva waved at her to come closer and the younger woman did as she was told.

"Okay. Now I want you to focus really hard. Concentrate on your spirited animal. As you have read you don't need to know what it is. You need to concentrate on your traits and your characteristics. The first transformation is the hardest one because of your ignorance of your form. The second time you will know what it is and you will able to focus on that. Let's begin now." She walked Miranda through and took a step back waiting patiently.

Miranda stood straight and closed her eyes. She concentrated on her characteristics first; her black hair and grey eyes as well as her slim body. She then thought about her traits and the way she behaves in different situations. Cunningness and intelligence were two of her most strong traits, followed by passion about a lot of things and beauty. She could definitely turn heads.

Suddenly she felt her body shrinking and changing but didn't break her concentration. She thought about her wild character and her lack of strength.

McGonagall clapped her hands excitedly and Miranda jumped out of her skin startled. "It is done. Very well, Miss Black! And with your first try. I am quite impressed." Minerva smiled proudly at the girl. She conjured a big mirror out of thin air and beckoned her closer. Miranda looked up at her and waved her tail excitedly. She walked towards the mirror and stared at herself.

A black fox stood at the place Miranda Black should be standing. She spun slowly trying to get used to walking in four legs and flicked her tail excitedly. The fox walked closer to the mirror and inspected the white stripe that stood in contrast against her black hair. The white stripe seemed to separate her face in two pieces since it was situated at the top of her snout reaching to the top of her head. When she was ready to change back she turned to look at her Professor.

"Whenever you are ready." Minerva nodded and the girl went back to her place. She concentrated and tried to change back with no success. After a few minutes of nothing happening she thought that she was going to stay like this forever and started panicking but McGonagall sprang into action trying to calm her. Her Professor used her wand to change her back. "We will work on that for the rest of the hour. Don't worry. No matter what happens you won't stay a fox for the rest of your life. After a while the magic will drain your body and force you to return to your human form. Since you managed to change into an animal with your first try there is nothing to worry about." That managed to do the trick. Miranda calmed down and transformed to a fox again. She trotted around the classroom getting used to the ways of the animal and worked on turning back to human for the rest of the hour.

Half an hour later she said her goodbyes to Professor McGonagall and headed back to her room. She had some time before dinner so she lay on her bed and closed her eyes for another half hour. When she opened them she fixed her robes and walked to dinner.

Meanwhile Sirius was visiting Remus in his office. Remus was holding his head in his palm while Sirius was trying to explain his train of thought. "I am telling you, Moony. This could be true."

"How? How the hell can this be true, Pads? She is Bellatrix's daughter; your cousin's daughter for Merlin's sake. What are you telling me, exactly?" Remus tried to reason with his best friend. To be honest he thought that someone had Confounded him. He wasn't making sense at all.

"Remus, Bellatrix is not my cousin!" Sirius yelled at him and Remus sat up straighter.

"Seriously Padfoot, are you drunk?" Remus felt really tired.

"Let me start from the beginning." He said and took a seat on the chair in front of Remus' desk. "Remember that day, I returned to the Common Room late at night and you waited for me to give me a lecture about treating the girls with respect?"

"Vaguely." Remus shrugged.

"That night I bumped into Bella and she gave me a letter to read. Her mother had sent it. She was explaining who Bella's real father was and how it had happened. In conclusion, the letter read that Bella was not actually a Black and was only a half-sister to Narcissa and Andromeda. But I am related to her father; not her mother. So if she is not related to Cygnus, she is not related to me. Got it?"

"Yes, I got this the first time. What this has to do with Miranda, Bellatrix and you?" Sirius pressed his face into his palms and let out a loud breath.

"And you were supposed to be the smart one. Let me say it like this. I think that /I/ am Miranda's father." Sirius exclaimed and Remus felt all blood being drained from his face.

Finishing her dinner Miranda returned to her room and threw her black robe on the bed. She sat and took her wand between her hands. She wasn't in the mood to read any books and she didn't want to train her Animagus form at the moment. She stared at her wand as her thoughts drifted back to Remus and their first kiss. It was such a beautiful and treasured memory for her. Nobody had kissed her like that. Well she barely had one-two kisses to compare but still.

A powerful memory! That's it! Miranda stood up fast and held up her wand. Did she dare to try? She definitely did.

"Expecto Patronum!" she shouted loudly as she thought of every little detail of that kiss. A powerful string of light was poured out of her wand. It kept twirling and spinning around the room until the light formed an animal. The animal trotted for a while and then came and sat in front of the young woman. Miranda was quite shocked. Two revelations in one day, who would have thought. The animal turned its head to the roof. It seemed to be howling.

"A wolf!" she gasped excited. "I must tell Remus." She muttered and left in a hurry forgetting her robe behind. She tore down the hallways and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't even felt the chill against her naked arms. Her T-shirt did little to warm her up.

She burst into Remus' office startling both men. "Remus, I did it!" she exclaimed but stood still when she noticed Sirius sitting in front of Remus' desk. Three bodies stood frozen in the room and three sets of eyes looked at each other.

Remus was pale thinking about what Sirius was telling him that he failed to notice that the girl had called him by his first name.

Sirius was pale thinking that the young woman was his daughter also failing to notice that the girl had called his friend by his first name.

Miranda was pale thinking that he called Remus by his first name in front of Sirius.

For a few minutes nobody talked. That was until Sirius noticed the bracelet on Miranda's wrist. He stood slowly and walked towards her. He took her hand gently and lifted it a bit. His back was hiding Remus' view who still sat there frozen.

"Miranda, where did you get that?" he asked in shock.

Miranda seemed to snap out of it, noticing that Sirius hadn't noticed her slip. "Hello to you too, Sirius." She smiled but when she noticed his face she sobered up. "Ehm, it is a replica of my father's. Aunt Cissy said so. Mom made it for me before I was born." She pulled the necklace from under her T-shirt and showed it to Sirius. "That was my father's gift to my mother. Why? Do you know something?" she asked anxiously.

"I h-have to go." He said and disappeared out of the door in a heartbeat. Miranda stood there looking at the door and then shrugged. She flicked her wand and locked Remus' office door.

She walked to him and smiled. Remus finally snapped out of it and glanced at her with a smile. He pulled her down and pecked her lips softly dismissing all the silly things Sirius told him.

"I've discovered my Patronus." Miranda exclaimed happily. "I thought to change the memory and it worked."

Remus grinned at her and hugged her tightly. "I am really proud of you." He whispered in her ear. "What memory did you choose this time?" he asked interested.

"Our first kiss." She said blushing and finding it hard to look at him in the eye.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. "So are you going to show me then?" He smiled lovingly at her. Miranda happily complied and said the incantation.

The wolf sprang from the tip of her wand and trotted around for a while. Remus froze for the second time that day. Did she figure it out? Why isn't she reacting? He glanced at the younger woman's face and felt his body relaxing when he noticed her bright smile. His secret was safe for a little longer.

"It's really beautiful." He whispered in her ear. "I am very proud of you." He turned her towards him and kissed her softly. She kissed him back happily and turned her focus to the kiss instead of her Patronus, which started to fade and disappeared completely. He pulled back slightly and smiled charmingly at her. He moved his hands to cup her face. She placed a hand on the back of his hand and that's when Remus saw it. "Miranda, is that the bracelet from the previous memory you used?" he asked concerned.

"Why is everyone asking me about this bracelet today? Yes, that's the one. Why? And why did Sirius bolted as soon as he saw it?" she took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Remus didn't hear her questions. He remembered seeing Sirius wearing that bracelet after their graduation. He had asked him multiple times where he got it but he always changed the subject. The werewolf had suspected that Sirius was hiding something but he hadn't managed to learn much. Just once, after Bellatrix's arrest, Sirius had talked about it. He had said that the girl he was in love with made it for him. Sirius was as drunk as he could be and Remus thought that it was an opportunity for him to find out more but as he was ready to push for answers Sirius fell asleep. He hadn't connected the pieces until now. How could he miss it all? He always thought that Sirius left Britain because of James and Lily's death. Oh how wrong he was! Their death was the last straw apparently. He was already depressed because of Bellatrix's arrest but he hadn't figured it out until now. Sirius hadn't said anything to anyone. He went through all of this alone.

Remus turned to look at Miranda as if looking at her for the first time. He was in love with his best friend's daughter. That was bad. His eyes connected with hers and he gasped. They had the same eyes. That was why her eyes reminding him of someone. Miranda Lily Black was his friend's daughter. Lily! Bellatrix didn't choose that name randomly. She did it for Sirius. He needed to find his friend.

"I-I have to find Sirius." He pointed out and Miranda felt her blood starting to boil.

"Wait just a minute! What about the bracelet? Do you know something I don't? Remus, do you know who my father is?" she asked with hope in her eyes.

"I'll see you later." Remus said and planted a kiss on her cheek. He was gone before Miranda could have a say in it. Oh they were going to pay for this. Remus and Sirius were to going to pay a lot for this. She thought and walked back to her room glaring at anyone who stepped on her way.

 **Author's note:** So any thoughts?


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